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Purchased   by  the   Hamill    Missionary   Fund. 


BV  2060  .H9  1905 

Hume,  Robert  Allen,  1847- 

1929. 
Missions  from  the  modern 


MISSIONS  FROM 
THE  MODERN  VIEW 


MISSIONS    FROM 
THE  MODERN  VIEW 


BY        X 
ROBERT   A.^UME 

OF 

Ahmednagar,  India 


With  an  Introduction  bt 
CHARLES    CUTHBERT    HALL 


New  Youk        Chicago        Toronto 

Fleming   H.  Revell   Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1905,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York :  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto  :  27  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:    100  Princes  Street 


TO   MY  WIFE 


INTRODUCTION 

The  lectures  following  contribute  to  the 
solution  of  a  problem  at  once  intricate  and 
fascinating.  That  problem  is  the  readjustment 
of  missionary  ideals  and  methods  to  the  modern 
state  of  knowledge.  To  admit  the  need  of  read- 
justment in  the  field  of  missions  is  to  place  that 
field  in  the  same  honorable  category  with 
every  other  field  of  lofty  human  enterprise. 
Readjustment  means  growth,  progress,  aug- 
mentation of  power,  as  the  effects  of  increased 
knowledge  and  experience.  It  would  be  mis- 
taken loyalty  to  great  leaders  of  the  past  to 
contend  that  their  successors  in  work  must 
occupy  the  same  point  of  view  and  practice  the 
same  methods.  The  great  leaders  of  the  past, 
could  they  speak  to  us,  would  protest  against 
such  well-meant  but  erroneous  conservatism. 
They  themselves  were  prophets,  gazing  beyond 
the  things  they  saw,  and  testifying  beforetime 
of  a  better  day  to  come  after  them.  William 
Carey,  of  Serampore,  was  a  statesman  and  a 
prophet.  None  can  stand  in  his  Hbrary,  or 
look  upon  his  buildings  on  the  river  bank,  or 
trace  the  outline  of  his  missionary  policy  with- 
out  realizing   that   his   mind   anticipated   and 


g  INTRODUCTION 

foresaw  developments  of  opinion  and  method 
that  must  in  time  reconstruct  the  thinking  of 
Christian  missionaries  in  many  particulars.  The 
prophecies  of  some  of  these  early  leaders  are 
being  fulfilled.  The  literatures  and  religions  of 
the  East  are  studied  in  the  West.  The 
strategic  posts  of  service  in  India  and  the  Far 
East  are  occupied  by  an  increasing  number  of 
men  whose  training,  historically,  philosophi- 
cally, socially,  qualifies  them  to  see  clearly  and 
to  handle  tactfully  the  most  splendid  problem 
of  modern  times,  the  Christianization  of  the 
Asiatic  consciousness. 

It  is  correct  and  necessary  that  in  the  read- 
justment of  missionary  ideals  and  methods  the 
initiative  shall  be  taken  by  missionaries  them- 
selves and  not  by  their  academic  advisers  and 
critics  at  home.  Without  doubt  there  are 
aspects  of  the  situation  that  can  best  be  real- 
ized at  long  range,  by  those  who  are  not  involved 
in  the  responsibilities  and  limitations  of  denom- 
inational service  abroad.  Many  missionaries 
are  disqualified,  by  unavoidable  conditions,  for 
a  judgment  of  authority  upon  the  true  policy 
of  the  Church  in  erecting  Christian  institutions 
in  non-Christian  lands.  Stationed  in  remote 
communities ;  absorbed  in  local  operations ;  re- 
stricted, perhaps,  by  the  sectarian  spirit  of  the 
ecclesiastical  body  to  which  they  are  responsi- 


INTRODUCTION  S 

ble;  'deprived  of  opportunities  for  travel  and 
extensive  generalization,  not  a  few  members  of 
the  foreign  missionary  force  are  relatively 
unacquainted  with  contemporary  Eastern 
opinion,  in  circles  of  influence.  As  compared 
with  the  limited  field  of  missionaries  thus  sit- 
uated, it  is  probable  that  an  intelligent  and 
sympathetic  view  is  more  readily  attained  at  a 
distance  and  under  conditions  absolved  from 
sectarian  restraint.  But  the  view  thus  obtained 
is  likely  to  be  invalidated,  in  important  particu- 
lars, by  lack  of  local  knowledge.  The  arm- 
chair theorists  of  the  West  may  endeavor  to 
be  fair,  and  may  actually  possess  a  substantial 
basis  of  technical  information.  But  without 
first-hand  knowledge  of  the  Eastern  land,  the 
Eastern  atmosphere,  the  Eastern  mind  and 
soul,  all  theory  formulated  in  the  West  may  be 
fallacious.  Hence  the  necessity  that,  in  the 
readjustment  of  missionary  ideals  and  methods, 
the  initiative  shall  proceed  from  those  whose  ex-  .J 
perience  in  the  field  is  co-ordinated  with  broad 
theoretical  training.  It  is  one  of  many  splendid 
features  of  modern  missionary  activity  that 
persons  are  to  be  found  at  important  posts  of 
foreign  duty  who  join  ripe  experience  with 
thoroughgoing  culture.  These  are  they  to 
whom  all  parties  in  interest  must  look,  for  cor- 
rect interpretations  of  existing  conditions  and 


4  INTRODUCTION 

fertile  suggestions  of  procedure.  It  is  very 
striking  to  observe  that  these  modern  leaders, 
although  allied  ecclesiastically  with  Churches 
of  the  West  that  perpetuate  hereditary  diver- 
gences of  doctrine  and  practice,  are  agreed  in 
certain  fundamental  positions.  They  are  quite 
at  one  in  recognizing  that  the  heart  of  the  East 
already  contains  the  principle  of  religious 
aspiration,  and  is  hungering  and  thirsting  for 
God.  They  agree  that  the  policy  of  Christian 
Missions  toward  existing  religious  experience 
must  be  that  of  Christ,  Who  came  not  to  destroy 
but  to  fulfill;  to  conserve  the  reality,  however 
dwarfed  or  perverted  in  mode  of  expression,  and 
to  invest  that  deficient  reality  with  the  rich 
content  of  the  revelation  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus.  They  agree  that  the  Christianization 
of  the  Asiatic  consciousness  does  not  mean  its 
transformation  into  the  likeness  of  the  West; 
and  that  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the 
East  may  be  to  produce  an  Oriental  Christianity 
different  in  institutional  form  and  in  tempera- 
ment from  the  Christianity  of  Europe  and 
America. 

Dr.  Hume's  lectures  admirably  illustrate  the 
readjustment  of  ideals  and  methods  that  has 
taken  place  already  in  the  most  intelligent  cir- 
cles of  foreign  missionary  workers.  These 
lectures  are  a  gospel  for  the  West.    They  show 


INTRODUCTION  5 

how  far  beyond  much  of  our  relatively  narrow 
and  provincial  thinking  many  of  our  foremost 
missionaries  have  advanced.  They  summon 
the  Church  at  home  to  rise  to  a  higher  plane  of 
thought ;  to  abandon  the  discussion  of  out-worn 
points  of  controversy;  to  awake  from  the  sleep 
of  luxury,  formahsm,  and  self -centered  religious 
profession;  to  respect  the  aspirations  and  in- 
terests of  Eastern  peoples ;  to  advance  to  an 
adequate  maintenance  of  scholarly  and  conse- 
crated men  who,  by  lives  of  purity  and  excel- 
lence, have  disarmed  the  suspicions  and  won 
the  respect  of  Orientals.  These  great  mis- 
sionary leaders  know  the  situation  as  it  exists. 
They  know  how  to  reach,  and  they  are  reach- 
ing, the  religious  consciousness  of  Asia.  They 
know  how  to  conduct  wise  operations  for  the 
propagation  of  Christianity  in  lands  for  which 
the  Son  of  God  gave  His  very  life.  Those  opera- 
tions, conceived  in  wisdom,  conducted  in  love, 
are  crippled  in  the  most  piteous  manner  by 
lack  of  money  to  maintain  them.  The  Christian 
churches  of  the  West  include  in  their  mem- 
bership the  possessors  of  enormous  wealth.  To 
them  may  this  book  speak  in  tones  that  shall*' 
instruct  the  intellect,  admonish  the  conscience, 
and  enlarge  the  heart. 

Chaeles  Cuthbert  Hall. 
Ukioh  Theological  Seminaky,  June,  1906, 


AUTHOR'S    NOTE 

The  first  six  chapters  of  this  book  consist  of 
lectures  which  were  delivered  at  Andover  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  the  University  of  Chicago, 
the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  and  Bangor 
Theological  Seminary.  The  last  two  chapters 
are  exact  illustrations  of  how  I  have  given  the 
Christian  message  to  Indians. 

R.  A.  Hume. 

Sp&ikofield^  Mass.,  Maj,  1905. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Missions  from    the  Modern  View  of 

God  and  the  World    ....        11 

II.  The  Historical  Development  of  Hin- 

duism     45 

III.  Missions  and  Psychology  ...        88 

IV.  Missions  and  Sociology 118 

V.  A  Comparison    of    Christianity    and 

Hinduism 150 

VI.  What    Christianity     Has    to     Gain 

FROM    Contact    with    the    East     191 

VII.  The  Simplicity  of  Christianity    .     .     222 

VIII.  How    Gangaram    Became    Acquainted 

WITH    God 261 


MISSIONS  FROM  THE    MODERN  VIEW    OF 
GOD  AND  THE  WORLD 

THE  modern  view  of  God  and  the  world  is 
profoundly  affecting  every  other  sphere 
of  thought  and  duty  except  missions. 
But  the  world  is  one ;  its  solidarity  is  more  and 
more  recognized.  Thought  and  life  in  one  de- 
partment affect  thought  and  life  in  other  depart- 
ments. In  part,  the  modern  view  is  a  result  of 
foreign  missions.  Therefore,  of  course  this 
modern  view  must  affect  thought  about  missions 
and  work  by  missionaries.  In  fact,  foreign  mis- 
sions ought  to  be,  and  truly  are,  the  expression 
by  Christian  people  of  their  understanding  of 
their  relations  to  God  and  the  world,  under  the 
inspiration  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  accord- 
ing to  His  principles.  The  modern  view  of  God 
and  the  world  is  larger  and  more  vital  than  the 
old  one.  It  brings  God  most  near  to  every  single 
member  of  the  world.     The  nearer  view  of  almost 


J 


U     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

everything  gives  a  fuller  and  truer  view.  Every 
modern  poet  and  every  modern  commanding 
thinker  who  believes  in  God  at  all  emphasizes  the 
evidence  of  God  in  His  world  and  His  ceaseless 
activity,  not  only  in  every  part  of  the  physical 
world,  but  also  in  every  part  of  the  moral  world 
of  men. 

"  Speak  to  Him,  thou,  for  He  heareth. 
And  spirit  with  spirit  may  meet; 
Closer  is  He  than  breathing 
And  nearer  than  hands  or  feet." 

This  throbbing,  vital  recognition  of  God  as 
ceaselessly  active  in  every  man  is  the  idea  of 
theistic  evolution  which  is  the  formative  principle 
of  modern  thought.  Law  is  no  longer  thought 
of  as  an  impersonal  force,  but  as  an  expres- 
sion of  personal  will.  Just  as  laws  of  physical 
nature,  so  laws  of  human  nature,  are  considered 
the  expression  of  God's  customary  action. 
Theistic  evolution  leaves  no  essential  distinction 
between  the  natural  and  the  supernatural.  They 
are  both  alike  divine.  Therefore  there  is  no 
essential  difference  between  revealed  and  natural 
religion.  God  is  light  and  therefore  ever  reveal- 
ing Himself.     Men  are  made  in  God's  image  and 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  13 

are  fitted  to  know  Him.  But  because  men  are 
weak  and  erring,  they  very  partially  under- 
stand God.  The  religion  of  any  company 
of  men  is  their  interpretation  in  thought 
and  in  practice  of  what  God  is  trying  to 
teach  them.  Because  of  their  limitations  and 
their  sins,  they  only  partially,  and  often  very 
imperfectly,  understand  what  He  is  trying  to 
teach.  But  there  is  no  proper  distinction  be- 
tween true  and  false  religions.  A  more  proper 
term  would  be  less  perfect  and  more  perfect 
religions.  Every  religion  has  something  of 
truth  in  it,  because  it  recognizes  the  existence 
of  God,  the  fact  of  His  relation  to  men,  and  of 
His  activity  toward  them,  and  the  importance 
of  men's  relations  to  God  being  made  right.  Yet 
every  religion  is  still  imperfect.  According  to 
the  definition  of  religion  just  given,  even  the 
Christian  religion  has  not  yet  attained  to  full- 
orbed  apprehension  of  all  spiritual  things  in 
their  right  proportions.  This  is  exactly  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  said  to  His  disci- 
ples, "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you, 
but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit  when  He, 
the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come,  He  shall  guide  you 


14     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW,  ^ 

into  aU  the  truth."  The  apostle  Paul  wrote  In 
one  of  his  letters,  "  I  fed  you  with  milk,  not  with 
meat;  for  ye  were  not  able  to  bear  it;  nay,  not 
even  now  are  ye  able."  This  is  but  another 
way  of  saying  that  Christianity  is  a  growing  '^ 
religion.  The  fundamental  and  sufficient  evi- 
dence that  Islam  cannot  be  the  reHgion  of  think- 
ing men  in  modern  times  is  the  fact  that  it 
claims  to  be,  and  is,  a  religion  full-grown,  as  it 
is  laid  down  in  the  Quran.  Islam  knows  no  doc- 
trine of  theistic  evolution.  If  Christianity  were 
a  religion  full-grown  and  limited  to  such  inter- 
pretation of  its  principles  as  was  known  even  by 
the  inspired  writers  of  the  Bible,  it  would  not  be 
a  growing  religion,  suited  to  the  universal  needs 
of  all  men  of  all  times.  Just  because  it  is  a 
growing  religion,  it  has  the  possibilities  of  being 
universal  in  its  power  to  meet  the  religious  needs 
of  mankind.  Hence,  the  fullest  interpretation 
of  spiritual  needs  at  any  time,  though  it  be  the 
fullest  up  to  that  time,  must  of  necessity  be  par- 
tial. But  this  is  no  more  discreditable  to  rehgion 
than  the  same  principle  is  to  science.  It  is  be- 
cause science  is  growing  knowledge  that  it  is 
able  to  modify  the  life  of  every  generation. 


GOD   AND    THE   WORLD  15 

Science  is  nothing  else  than  one  witness  to  God's 
infinite  greatness  and  readiness  to  reveal  Himself 
and  to  communicate  Himself  to  his  children  just 
as  fast  and  as  far  as  by  seeking  and  following 
His  laws  they  have  developed  capacity  and  will- 
ingness to  understand  Him.    As  science  is  simply 
God's  revelation  of  Himself  in  one  sphere  to 
patient  and  obedient  men  who  seek  to  know  and 
do  His  will  in  one  direction,  so  in  another  sphere 
religion  is  the  witness  of  His  infinite  greatness 
and  readiness  to  reveal  Himself  and  to  communi- 
cate Himself  to  His  children  just  as  fast  and  as 
far  as  they  develop  capacity  and  willingness  to 
hear  Him  and  take  His  help  in  spiritual  things. 
The  apostle  Paul  never  uttered  a  more  inspired 
word  than  when  he  said,  "  I  know  only  in  part, 
and  I  teach  only  in  part ;  but  more  and  more  the 
perfect  is  going  to  come,  and  as  perfection  grad- 
ually comes,  that  which  is  partial  will  be  done 
away.     Now  I  know  only  in  part,  but  then  shall 
I  know  fully."     For  substance  that  is  only  say- 
ing that  Paul's  rehgion  was  a  growing  rehgion. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  features  in  the  study 
of  his  letters  is  to  notice  how  he  grew  in  his  inter- 
pretation of  spiritual  things. 


16     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

The  modem  view  also  emphasizes  the  fact 
that  salvation  is  not  essentially  a  matter  of 
time  and  place,  but  is  a  matter  of  character. 
Salvation  is  spiritual  soundness.  It  is  an 
ethical  condition.  But  this  is  exactly  what 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  most  plainly  taught. 
He  said  very  little  about  what  would  happen 
to  men  when  they  had  gone  to  heaven. 
He  said  that  He  came  that  men  might  have 
life  and  that  they  might  have  it  abundantly, 
and  that  men  who  take  His  help  would  have 
eternal  life  now.  "  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath 
eternal  hfe." 

A  great  deal  of  modern  Christian  thought, 
while  not  denying  the  metaphysical  divinity  of 
Christ,  dwells  principally  upon  His  ethical 
divinity,  which  is  just  what  would  naturally 
follow  when  the  salvation  which  He  came  to  give 
to  men  was  ethical  soundness  of  character. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  human  expression  of  God. 
God  is  like  Jesus  Christ.  From  this  follows  the 
further  consideration  which  Jesus  Christ  most 
plainly  and  most  helpfully  taught:  that  God  is 
in  a  true  sense  like  men.  When  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  wanted  to  help  men  to  understand  how 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  17 

simple,  how  real,  how  vital  is  God's  relation  to 
every  man,  and  how  anxious  God  is  to  have  every 
human  child  of  His  come  to  Him  in  simplicity 
with  every  thought  and  need.  He  said  for  sub- 
stance. This  is  the  way  to  think  of  God  in  rela- 
tion to  you.  You  may  be  sure  that  He  will  do 
to  you  even  better  than  you  would  do  to  your  own 
son.  If  your  son  were  hungry  and  asked  you 
for  bread,  would  you  not  give  him  bread?  And 
if  he  asked  you  also  for  fish,  would  you  not  give 
him  a  fish.'*  You  would  not  give  him  a  serpent, 
would  you  ?  Well,  if  you,  with  your  limitations 
and  your  sins,  if  you,  being  evil,  do  as  well  as 
you  can  by  your  own  children,  how  much  more 
shall  your  Heavenly  Father  do  the  best  that  He 
can  by  every  one  of  His  human  children ;  and  the 
best  that  He  can  do  is  to  give  His  Holy  Spirit 
to  make  you  holy. 

Modem  Christian  thought  is  rightly  making 
the  Holy  Spirit  truly  universal  in  His  presence 
and  activity.  Christian  thought  has  always  em- 
phasized the  divinity  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  it 
failed  to  recognize  His  omnipresence  and  His 
universal  activity.  In  no  respect  does  the 
modern  doctrine  of  the  immanence  of  God  so 


18    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

largely  and  so  helpfully  enrich  modern  thought 
and  life  as  in  recognition  of  the  omnipresent 
activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  If  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  truly  God,  then  He  is  God  in  the  heart  of 
every  man  trying  to  make  him  holy. 

Modem  Christian  thought  rightly  emphasizes 
historicity  as  very  important  in  the  considera- 
tion of  all  religious  matters,  for  exact  history  is 
a  statement  and  interpretation  of  facts  with 
which  God  has  been  connected  as  well  as  with 
which  man  has  been  connected.  It  is  one  of  the 
principal  excellences  of  the  Christian  religion 
that  it  seeks  to  know  the  exact  facts  of  history, 
whether  those  facts  are  according  to  the  tradi- 
tional explanation  or  different  from  that  ex- 
planation. History  is  and  ever  will  be  one  door 
and  way  to  the  life  of  God.  But  modem  Chris- 
tian thought  is  coming  more  and  more  to  recog- 
nize that  even  historicity  is  not  the  complete  or 
the  chief  evidence  in  spiritual  things.  History 
is  only  the  story  of  the  past.  It  cannot  give  the 
ideal  of  the  future.  But  the  ideal  is  an  impor- 
tant part  of  religion,  both  as  a  system  of 
thought  and  as  a  life,  because  it  is  the  future 
that  draws  spirits  onward  and  upward  more  than 


GOD   AND    THE   WORLD  19 

the  past  that  drives  them  on.    The  lowest  grades 
of  life  have  an  outlook  simply  upon  the  past  and 
recognize  only  the  possibility  and  compulsion  of 
the  past.    One  fundamental  weakness  in  the  doc- 
trine of  transmigration   and  of  reincarnation, 
which  are  the  principal  forces  in  Hinduism,  is 
that  it  is  wholly,  or  mainly,  the  past  that  con- 
trols the  future.     But  poets  and  seers  and  all 
lovers  know  that  the  present  and  the  future  are 
more  than  the  past.     Therefore,  while  not  ignor- 
ing the  past  or  the  present,  they  care  for  the 
past  principally  because  it  is  the  door  into  a 
greater  future.     That  is,  the  lure  of  the  ideal  is 
the  formative  influence  in  the  Hfe  of  the  poet 
and  the  seer  and  the  lover.     It  is  the  hope  of 
greater  and  better  things  that  makes  men  climb 
mountains  and  cross  oceans  and  suffer  difficulties 
with  patience  and  with  delight,  because  there  is 
more  hght  and  life  and  joy  in  the  ideal  which  is 
luring  them  on.     It  is  the  ideal  which  makes  the 
patriot,  the  teacher,  the  parent,  the  lover. 

Proportion  is  more  and  more  coming  to  be 
seen  to  be  the  important  thing  in  religion,  as  in 
every  other  sphere  of  life.  Good  cooking  is 
largely  a  matter  of  proportion.     Too  much  or 


20     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

too  little  of  an  Ingredient,  over-baking  or  under- 
baking,  injures  any  meal.  In  the  matter  of 
amusements  sanity  and  proper  results  depend 
mainly  upon  the  proportion  of  time,  strength, 
and  money  given  to  any  one  amusement,  or  to 
amusements  as  a  part  of  strenuous  life.  Pro- 
portion is  the  principal  thing  in  any  wise  use  of 
money.  Modern  life  makes  the  study  and  prac- 
tice of  proportion  almost  its  chief  business.  The 
same  thing  applies  in  religion.  Every  religion 
and  every  denomination  in  the  Christian  religion 
has  its  weakness  in  over-emphasizing  some  phase 
of  truth  and  under-emphasizing  others.  But 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  explanation  of  the  riddle  of 
religion,  as  of  all  life.  He  gave  all  religious 
principles  in  right  proportion.  He  grew  just  as 
we  grow.  But  He  was  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh  in  the  fullest  measure  possible  for  God  to 
reveal  Himself  through  men.  Yet  even  He  said, 
"  I  tell  you  the  truth.  It  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away,  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  go,  I  will 
send  Him  unto  you.  When  He,  the  Spirit  of 
truth  is  come.  He  shall  guide  you  into  all  truth." 
The  marvel  is  that  no  one  has  ever  gone  beyond 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  SI 

the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  No  one  has  appeared 
who  has  the  slightest  possibility  of  going  beyond 
Him.  And  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  great  spirit- 
ual seers  say  that  they  get  their  inspiration  and 
their  light  largely  from  Jesus  Christ.  They 
reverently  acknowledge  their  dependence  upon 
Him  and  their  obligation  to  Him.  Even  now 
He  is  rising  still  higher  and  higher  in  the  spirit- 
ual firmament  of  the  whole  world.  He  is  still 
the  Light  of  the   World. 

The  modem  view  of  God  is  largely  the  modem 
view  of  the  world.  The  world  is  larger  because 
God  is  larger.  It  is  not  now  only  or  mainly 
physical  nature  which  is  thought  of  as  revealing 
God.  Men  are  considered  as  His  chief  revela- 
tion. This  is  simply  in  accordance  with  the 
teachings  of  Christ  and  true  Christianity.  It 
is  the  natural  inference  from  the  whole  doctrine 
of  incarnation.  God  was  manifest  in  supremest 
human  form  in  Jesus  Christ  in  order  that  He 
might  manifest  Himself  also  in  every  other  man. 
Probably  the  finest  word  in  the  Apocalypse  is 
this:  "And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  the 
throne  saying,  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is 
with  men,  and  He  shall  dwell  with  them  and  they 


n    MISSIONS  from  the  IMODERN  VIEW 

shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be 
with  them,  and  be  their  God ;  and  He  shall  wipe 
away  every  tear  from  their  eyes."  Therefore, 
in  stating  the  modem  view  of  God  I  have  already 
stated  the  modern  view  of  God  and  the  world. 
God  is  in  His  world.  Men  are  made  in  His 
image.  They  are  His  children.  He  is  ever  try- 
ing to  do  His  very,  very  best  by  every  one  of 
them.  They  are  very  imperfect.  They  very  par- 
tially and  imperfectly  understand  Him.  They 
very  often  fail  to  take  His  help.  In  this  way 
they  sin  against  Him  and  fail  to  do  their  duty. 
They  grieve  Him,  but  He  is  so  patient,  so 
patient. 

"Take  all  in  a  word,  the  trust  in  God's  breast 
Lies  trace  for  trace,  on  ours  impressed. 
Though  He  is  so  bright  and  we  are  so  dim. 
We  are  made  in  His  image,  we  witness  Him." 

Now  how  does  this  modern  view  of  God  and  of 
the  world  affect  missions?  Of  course,  the  main 
thought  and  impulse  of  Christian  missions  is  the 
desire  to  help  in  bringing  the  world  of  men  into 
that  conscious  relation  to  their  Father  God, 
which   He  desires,   and  which   Christ   came   to 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  £3 

secure.  With  the  view-point  of  God  and  the 
world  here  expressed  missions  would  naturally  be 
the  very  first  sphere  of  thought  and  activity  to 
be  changed.  So  the  modem  view  does  two  things 
for  missions. 

«^  First:  It  brings  into  nobler  light  the  Christ- 
likeness  which  has  characterized  foreign  missions 
from  apostolic  times  to  the  present,  in  the  actual 
going  out  of  Christian  men  and  women  at  self- 
sacrifice  and  with  enthusiastic  love  to  make 
known  to  brother-men  and  sister-women  that 
knowledge  and  love  of  God  which  Jesus  Christ 
had  revealed  to  the  missionaries  themselves.  It 
was  a  narrower  view  of  God  and  of  the  world 
than  the  modem  -v^iew  which  inspired  those  mis- 
sionaries, but  it  is  the  more  honorable  to  those 
heroic  men  and  women  that  they  went  with  the 
motive  which  they  had;  that  they  proved  the 
sincerity  and  intensity  of  their  sense  of  brother- 
hood and  fellowship  and  their  filial  relation  to 
their  Heavenly  Father  by  going  and  loving  and 
sufi'ering  as  they  did.  It  iU  becomes  the  critics 
of  those  men  and  women,  who  plume  themselves 
on  their  larger  thought,  to  criticise  those  who, 
from  a  narrower  view,  went  as  missionaries  of  the 


24     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Cross;  whereas  all  that  many  of  those  critics 
have  done  for  their  f ellowmen  has  been  to  sit  at 
ease  at  home  and  to  throw  stones  at  the  men  who 
proved  their  sense  of  brotherhood  by  going  to 
the  front  and  helping  men  as  they  could. 

Secondly:  This  modern  view  vastly  increases 
the  hopefulness  and  the  importance  of  missions. 
Since  God  is  at  work  on  every  man;  since  most 
men,  with  their  limitations  and  their  sins,  fail  to 
apprehend  God  as  He  wishes  them  to  apprehend 
Him;  since  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  fullest 
revelation  of  God;  and  since  the  Holy  Spirit 
uses  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  His  revelation  of 
spiritual  truth  as  His  best  instrument  in  bring- 
ing men  into  conscious  filial  relations  with  their 
Heavenly  Father,  how  inspiring  the  opportunity 
and  how  imperative  the  duty  of  taking  to  those 
who  do  not  know  Christ  the  inspiration  and  the 
power  which  He  longs  to  give  them !  The  larger 
and  nearer  view  of  God  brings  encouragement 
to  every  child  of  His  who  tries  to  bring  this 
larger  view  into  the  horizon  of  every  other  man. 
The  universality  of  rehgion  which  is  now  recog- 
nized is  a  new  illustration  of  God's  activity  in 
every    man.     The    universality    of    the    Holy 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  25 

Spirit's  work  is  a  call  to  give  to  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  instrument  which  He  especially  needs  in 
enabling  God  to  make  men  come  into  fuller  and 
fuller  light,  and  thus  to  grow  in  holiness.  The 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  truly  said,  "  When  the  Com- 
forter is  come.  He  will  convict  the  world  in 
respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg- 
ment: of  sin  because  they  believe  not  on  me.'* 
"  He  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto 
you." 

A  new  confidence  and  joy  in  God's  eternal  love 
is  always  awakened  in  every  land  by  that  revela- 
tion of  God's  own  yearning  for  the  love  of  His 
weak  and  erring  human  children  which  was  made 
by  the  life  and  sacrifice  of  His  well-beloved  Son 
Jesus  Christ.  The  Christian  missionary  now 
goes  to  the  non-Christian  world  under  the  inspi- 
ration of  the  thought  that  not  only  are  men  miss- 
ing the  love  and  confidence  and  intelligent  fel- 
lowship with  their  Father  which  they  need,  but 
that  the  Heavenly  Father  himself  craves,  with 
infinite  longing  and  love,  the  intelligent  fellow- 
ship and  love  and  confidence  of  each  child  of  His. 
So  that  God  is  suffering  for  lack  of  returning 
love  from  His  children,  just  as  human  parents 


26     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

suffer  from  the  sins  of  their  heedless  and  willful 
children  perhaps  more  than  those  heedless  and 
willful  children  suffer  from  their  neglect  of 
parental  love.  It  was  this  thought  of  the  suf- 
fering of  God  on  account  of  His  children  being 
unreconciled  to  Him  that  led  the  apostle  to  the 
Gentiles  to  say,  "  We  are  ambassadors  on  behalf 
of  Christ,  as  though  God  were  entreating  by 
us;  we  beseech  you  on  behalf  of  Christ,  be  ye 
reconciled  to  God." 

This  modern  view  and  more  spiritual  inter- 
pretation of  the  work  of  Christ  also  gives  a  new 
glory  and  urgency  to  foreign  missions  from  the 
thought  that  just  as  Jesus  Christ  came  to  "  ful- 
fill "  the  partial  view  of  the  Judaic  system,  so 
also  He  came  to  "  fulfill "  the  partial  interpreta- 
tion of  God  which  men  in  other  religions  have 
made.  To  "  fulfill  "  means  to  "  fill  full."  That  is 
what  Jesus  Christ  did  to  the  Judaic  system.  With 
spiritual  principle  He  filled  full  the  partial  and 
limited  views  of  the  earlier  prophets  of  Israel. 
The  Jews  of  His  time  did  not  adequately  under- 
stand Him.  But  herein  is  the  unique  character 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Herein  is  He  shown 
to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world  that  by  His  teach- 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  S7 

ings  and  life  and  sacrifice  and  death  and  resur- 
rection He  gave  such  a  revelation  of  God  as 
even  now  men  have  only  partially  understood. 
And  He  not  only  gave  the  revelation,  but  He 
gives  power  to  live  according  to  that  revelation. 
The  modern  view  shows  that  God  has  always 
been  at  work  on  other  peoples  besides  the  ancient 
children  of  Israel ;  and  that  just  as  "  in  the  full- 
ness of  time "  Jesus  Christ  came  to  fulfill  the 
limited  interpretations  of  the  Judaic  system,  so 
Christ  is  the  fulfiller  of  earlier  and  more  par- 
tial teachings  of  God  which  have  been  current 
in  His  human  children  in  any  land  and  at  any 
time.  That  phrase,  "  fullness  of  time,"  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  literature  of  mankind,  and  one 
of  the  most  illuminating  words  of  the  apostle 
Paul.  It  is  a  thought  essential  to  modern  theis- 
tic  evolution.  It  expresses  something  like  the 
modern  phrase,  "  the  psychological  moment." 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  fulfillment  and  the  fulfiller  of 
all  spiritual  truth.  What  a  new  inspiration  to 
foreign  missions,  that,  since  the  light  of  the 
glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God  has  been  com- 
mitted to  our  trust,  we  should  let  it  sliine  through 
us  upon  all  the  world;  that  those  who  have  not 


28     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

seen  this  light,  might  see  and  walk  and  rejoice 
in  it,  as  many  of  those  who  live  in  Christian  lands 
now  do.  It  is  an  inspiration  to  foreign  missions 
that  through  our  holding  forth  Christ  to  those 
who  do  not  know  Him  He  may  see  of  the  travail 
of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied.  For  He  said, 
"  Other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of  this  fold : 
them  also  I  must  bring  and  they  shall  hear  my 
voice;  and  they  shall  become  one  flock,  one 
shepherd." 

This  modern  view  of  God  and  the  world  affects 
the  assumptions  of  the  missionary  in  other  ways. 
It  emphasizes  the  fact  that  some  of  the  weak- 
nesses of  the  non-Christian  world  which  have 
been  thought  to  be  sinful,  are  rather  more 
phases  of  ignorance  than  sin,  and  it  makes  some 
phases  of  sin  more  prominent  and  heinous  than 
they  have  been  previously  thought  to  be.  For 
example:  Whereas  the  older  view  made  idolatry 
one  of  the  worst  sins  of  non-Christians,  the  new 
view  makes  idolatry  more  ignorance  than  sin. 
It  is  not  because  the  idolater  knows  that  idols 
are  not  the  proper  symbol  of  God,  and,  know^ 
ing  this,  still  makes  and  worships  them,  but  be- 
cause he  is  feeling  after  God,  and  having  no  such 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  29 

spiritual  revelation  of  Him  as  the  Christian  has 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  through  idols  he  igno- 
rantly  gropes  after  the  real  God  whom  he  can 
approach.  But  this  modern  view  Is  really  the 
Christian  view.  It  is  the  view  which  the  apostle 
Paul  preached  when  he  said  on  Mars  Hill  to  the 
Athenians,  who  were  using  idols,  "  What  ye 
worship  in  ignorance^  this  I  set  forth  unto  you.'* 
Similarly,  caste  in  India  is  now  seen  to  have 
grown  out  of  social  institutions  such  as  the 
color  line,  trade  guilds,  differences  In  education, 
property,  and  locality,  in  a  way  not  intention- 
ally wrongful  or  unkind,  though  the  final  re- 
sult of  that  system  has  been  to  develop  some  of 
the  most  unlovely  and  unbrotherly  character- 
istics In  the  relations  of  men,  and  though  it 
would  be  an  awful  sin  if  persisted  in  under  the 
light  of  the  Christian  Gospel.  But,  on  the  con- 
trary, this  modern  view  of  God  and  the  world 
emphasizes  in  a  new  and  unexpected  light  the 
sin  and  the  selfishness  of  the  dweller  in  Christian 
lands  who  has  had  the  fuller  revelation  of  God 
which  comes  through  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
countless  privileges  of  Christian  civilization,  in 
not  caring  for  his  non-Christian  brother  enough 


30     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

to  give  him  the  same  hfe  and  help,  even  at  the 
cost  of  self-sacrifice.  It  has  given  a  new  illus- 
tration of  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan. 
No  intelligent  visitor  to  non-Christian  lands 
like  India  and  Burma  and  China  and  Africa  and 
the  islands  of  the  seas,  but  knows  that  polythe- 
ism, pantheism,  idolatry,  caste,  ignorance,  child- 
marriage,  poverty,  and  other  ills  from  which 
millions  upon  millions  in  those  lands  are  suffer- 
ing are  like  blows  from  which  the  man  fell 
bleeding  on  the  way  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho. 
So  those  who,  dwelling  in  Christian  lands,  smugly 
comfort  themselves  on  their  superior  enlighten- 
ment and  sneer  at  the  missionary  as  narrow  and 
fanatical,  are  truly  like  the  Levite  and  the  priest 
who  passed  by  on  the  other  side,  while  the  mis- 
sionary is  the  good  Samaritan  who  goes  to  the 
bleeding  man,  and  binds  up  his  wounds,  and 
puts  him  on  his  own  beast,  and  takes  him  to  an 
inn,  and  provides  for  him.  The  truth  that  men 
in  non-Christian  lands,  as  much  as  those  in  Chris- 
tian lands,  really  need  the  revelation  of  God 
which  comes  through  Christ  and  the  inspiration 
and  power  which  He  gives,  is  shown  by  the  rest- 
lessness of  non-Christian  peoples,  by  their  vague. 


GOD   AND   THE   WORLD  ^1 

mistaken  efforts  to  relieve  themselves  from 
spiritual  burdens  through  austerities  and  pil- 
grimages and  gifts  to  idols.  Captain  Cornelius 
was  indeed  "  a  devout  man  and  one  that  feared 
God  with  all  his  house,  who  gave  much  alms  to 
the  poor  and  prayed  to  God  always."  But  with 
all  his  devoutness  he  was  not  satisfied,  and  when 
the  apostle  Peter  told  him  about  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  frankly  admitted  that  he  him- 
self was  now  finding  out  more  and  more  than 
he  had  previously  understood,  since  "  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons :  but  in  every  nation  he  that 
feareth  Him  and  worketh  righteousness  is  ac- 
ceptable to  Him,"  that  devout  non-Christian, 
instead  of  saying,  "  Very  well,  if  that  is  so, 
then  I  do  not  see  any  need  of  my  becoming  a 
Christian,"  said  just  the  opposite.  He  said, 
That  is  just  the  revelation  of  God  which  I 
have  been  longing  for  and  need,  and  I  wish 
this  very  hour  with  all  my  household,  to  enroll 
myself  as  His  humble  disciple;  and  he  and  his 
family  were  then  baptized  and  entered  the  Chris- 
tian fold.  So  now  this  larger  view  of  God  as 
trying  to  reveal  Himself  to  every  man,  and  of 
his  Spirit's  universal  activity  in  the  hearts  of 


S2    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW] 

men,  instead  of  leading  non-Christians  who  hear 
this  call  to  think  that  they  do  not  need  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  would  naturally  have  and 
does  have  the  opposite  effect  when  the  Christian 
evangel  is  preached  to  them  in  this  large  way. 

With  this  view  of  God  and  the  world,  in  loy- 
alty to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  under  His 
inspiration,  the  aims  of  the  modern  missionary 
are  not  really  very  unlike  what  the  aims  of  the 
missionary  were  under  a  more  contracted  view. 
Yet  the  way  of  conceiving  and  stating  those 
aims  is  different.  A  statement  of  those  aims 
might  be  put  in  modem  language  somewhat  like 
this:  First,  the  Christian  missionary  now  aims 
to  create  a  new  Christian  climate,  somewhat  as 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  sought  to  create  it ;  as  the 
apostle  Paul  and  the  apostle  Peter  sought  to 
create  it ;  L  e.,  so  to  shed  abroad  the  light  of  the 
gospel  that  men  in  non-Christian  lands  shall 
make  the  same  assumptions  which  men  in  Chris- 
tian lands  now  make.  Those  assumptions  are 
something  Hke  these :  That  there  is  only  one  God, 
who  is  the  Father  of  the  spirits  as  well  as  of 
the  bodies  of  all  men;  that  He  is  ever  present 
mth  every  human  child  and  trying  to  do  His  best 


GOD    AND    THE   WORLD  33 

for  tlie  spirit  of  every  child;  that  because  God 
is  thus  the  Father  of  us  all,  we  are  all  brothers 
and  sisters  of  one  another;  that,  therefore,  we 
should  realize  the  mutual  interest  of  each  human 
being  in  every  other  human  being;  and  that  it 
is  both  the  privilege  and  the  duty  of  every  man 
to  do  his  best,  as  for  the  body,  so  for  the 
spirit  of  every  fellowman.  And  the  aim  is  that 
men,  growing  up  in  these  assumptions,  shall  live 
as  sons  of  God.  With  these  assumptions  and 
trying  to  live  according  to  them,  whether  men 
join  the  Christian  church  or  not,  they  are  in  the 
kingdom  of  God;  and  just  so  far  as  the  Church 
becomes  co-terminous  with  the  kingdom  of  God, 
they  will  sooner  or  later  become  members  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

Second:  the  missionary  aims  to  make  better 
men  and  women,  and  so  to  make  a  better  world. 
He  does  not  talk  much  about  men's  going  to 
a  safe  place  called  heaven  because  Jesus  Christ 
died,  whether  men  take  His  help  and  become 
saved  into  good  character  in  this  world  or  not. 
Over  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  I  meet  men 
who  come  to  talk  with  me  I  have  placed,  in  spirit, 
though  not  in  words,  the  sign,  "  R.  A.  Hume, 


34    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

maker  and  mender  of  men  and  boys  on  the 
Jesus  Christ  pattern  by  the  help  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  If  helping  non-Christians  to 
become  Christians  does  not  make  better  men  and 
women,  better  husbands  and  wives,  better  fathers 
and  mothers,  better  children,  better  neighbors, 
better  citizens,  and  better  friends,  then  the  mis- 
sionary of  the  modern  view  would  not  have  ac- 
complished what  he  aims  to  accomplish.  It  is 
because  under  the  older  and  more  contracted  view 
there  had  been  some  who  professed  the  name  of 
Christian,  but  who  did  not  become  better  men 
and  women,  yet  who  in  ignorance  or  sin  made  the 
Christian  profession,  and  thus  were  a  dishonor  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  whose  name  they  took,  and  to 
the  missionary  who  meant  to  do  them  good,  that 
travelers  and  others  have,  in  some  places,  with 
some  degree  of  reason,  thought  missions  were 
doing  no  good  and  were  even  doing  harm.  But 
in  very  truth  among  men  in  every  land  about 
which  I  am  informed  the  majority  of  those  who 
have  come  into  the  vision  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  who  have  confessed  themselves  His  disciples, 
have  through  His  help  become  better  men  and 
women,  with  a  larger  and  fuller  life. 


GOD    AND   THE   WORLD  55 

Third:  The  missionary  aims  to  ascertain  so 
far  as  he  can,  and  to  thank  God  for,  every  truth 
which  He  has  taught  to  any  man  in  any  form 
and  in  any  degree.  Then  with  thoughtful 
recognition  of  this  work  of  God  the  mission- 
ary seeks  to  adapt  from  the  Christian  inter- 
pretation of  things  that  which  will  supple- 
ment and  fulfill  and  bring  into  rightness  the 
truth  which  God  has  in  part  revealed  to  the  non- 
Christian.  In  other  words,  under  the  modem 
view  of  God  and  the  world  the  modern  mission- 
ary believes  that,  in  the  fullness  of  time,  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  is  fulfilling  that  which  He 
had  previously  taught  any  men  in  part. 

Fourth:  The  modern  missionary  realizes  that 
since  Jesus  Christ  has  come  that  all  men  might 
have  life  and  might  have  it  more  abundantly,  it 
is  his  privilege  and  duty  to  help  them  in  every- 
thing that  would  enrich  their  life.  In  this  the 
modern  missionary  is  practically  doing  simply 
what  all  missionaries  have  more  or  less  done  from 
the  first.  With  a  different  view  of  God  and  the 
world  they  wrought  better  than  they  knew. 
From  the  first  the  missionary  in  India  has  been 
a  pioneer  in  all  that  enriches  life.      He  was  a 


S6     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

pioneer  in  higher  English  education;  in  pri- 
mary education  among  the  ignorant  masses;  in 
education  for  women,  and  in  all  that  upbuilds 
and  ennobles  women;  in  medical  work  of  all 
kinds;  and  now  by  common  consent  the  mis- 
sionary is  the  pioneer  in  the  most  successful  and 
useful  lines  of  industrial  training  and  develop- 
ment. 

Missionaries  like  Livingston  and  Cyrus  Ham- 
lin may  or  may  not  have  had  any  idea  of 
theistic  evolution,  but  at  heart  they  had  the 
modern  view  of  God  and  the  world,  and  they 
did  the  kind  of  work  which  is  bringing  about 
that  modern  view.  It  now  gives  justification  to 
a  matter  which  was  long  a  source  of  doubt  and 
debate,  and  which  in  some  missionary  circles 
brought  even  condemnation  to  certain  lines  of 
missionary  activity.  In  the  narrow  conception 
that  all  that  the  missionary  ought  to  do  is  to 
tell  men  that  Christ  died  for  their  sins  and  that 
if  they  believed  in  Him  He  would  forgive  them 
and  take  them  to  heaven,  there  was  no  adequate 
justification  for  the  missionary's  spending 
strength  and  time  in  educating  people  in  schools, 
in  carrying  on  medical  work  except  to  a  very 


GOD   AND   THE   WORLD  67 

limited  extent,  and  certainly  no  justification  for 
efforts  to  improve  the  social  and  economic 
condition  of  peoples  in  other  lands.  Never- 
theless, most  missionaries  have  always  felt 
moved  to  do  something  in  these  directions,  and 
this  has  led  to  frequent  and  often  acrimonious 
discussions  in  some  circles  as  to  whether  the 
efforts  of  medical  missionaries  were  quite  legiti- 
mate. But  what  the  logic  of  the  heart  and  of 
the  situation  led  most  missionaries  to  do,  even 
despite  the  then  prevailing  theory  of  missions, 
can  now  find  joyous  acceptance,  because  these 
more  philanthropic  efforts  are  seen  to  be  entirely 
consistent  with  the  true  spirit  of  Christ,  There- 
fore, now  some  people  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus  are 
well  pleased  to  give  money  and  effort  for  medical 
and  industrial  missons,  even  when  through  nar- 
row and  mistaken  conceptions  they  are  unwil- 
ling to  do  anything  for  the  more  fundamental 
and  more  important  work  of  giving  to  non- 
Christians  that  knowledge  of  God  the  Father  of 
our  spirits,  and  of  the  consequent  brotherhood  of 
men,  which  are  unquestionably  the  chief  things 
in  the  Christian  religion  and  the  most  important 
benefits  which  this  religion  imparts  to  mankind. 


58     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Hence,  this  modem  view  is  making  missionary 
work  not  so  much  ecclesiastical  as  personal,  and 
is  making  the  betterment  of  the  social  and  eco- 
nomic conditions  of  brother-men  and  sister- 
women  in  non-Christian  lands  the  duty  and  the 
privilege  of  their  more  favored  fellowmen  in 
Christendom.  In  other  words,  the  largest  and 
most  promising  missionary  activity  is  now  con- 
sidered to  be  the  all  round  work  of  spiritual,  sj 
mental,  and  physical  betterment,  because  such 
three-fold  comprehensive  endeavor  best  brings 
men  into  that  abundance  of  life  which  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  desires  to  give  them. 

This  outlook  will  also  give  to  laymen  more  and 
more  part  in  the  various  lines  of  missionary  ac- 
tivity. In  Christian  lands  at  home  laymen  are 
finding  larger  and  larger  spheres  of  influence. 
Similarly,  laymen  are  to  do  a  much  larger  part 
in  foreign  missionary  work.  The  larger  scope 
of  such  work  demands  that  kind  of  qualification 
which  often  laymen  possess  more  than  the  aver- 
age clergyman.  And  as  foreign  laymen  set  the 
example  in  the  manifold  developments  of  mis- 
sionary efforts,  so  they  will  stimulate  indigenous 
Christian  laymen  in  other  lands  to  see  how  large 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  S9 

a  sphere  is  open  for  them  in  making  their  own 
lands  Christian. 

This  view  affects  missions  helpfully  not  only 
by  holding  up  new  motives  for  inspiration  and 
added  hope  to  missionary  zeal,  but  it  will  also 
improve  missionary  methods  as  well.  It  will 
make  insight  into  the  characteristics  of  non- 
Christian  peoples  and  institutions  more  neces- 
sary and  helpful.  And  since  insight  and  sym- 
pathy are  sisters,  the  new  view  will  also  increase 
sympathy  in  the  selection  and  exercise  of  mis- 
sionary methods.  It  will  make  the  study  and 
adaptation  of  methods  and  motives  more  impor- 
tant. It  will  use  the  adjective  "better"  for 
commending  the  Christian  religion  to  non- 
Christians  rather  than  the  adjective  "best." 
But  this  is  simply  in  accordance  with  Biblical 
ideas  and  precedents.  The  characteristic  word 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  the  adjective 
"  better."  "  We  have  a  better  High  Priest,  a 
better  hope,  a  better  testament,  a  better  cove- 
nant, a  better  sacrifice,  a  better  substance,  a 
better  country,  better  things,"  etc.  "  God  hav- 
ing provided  some  better  thing  concerning  us, 
that  apart  from  us  they  should  not  be  made  per- 


40     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

feet."  As  in  the  first  century  so  now,  the  ad- 
jective "  better  "  is  the  right  expression  for  the 
earHer  relation  of  Christianity  to  the  ethnic 
faiths.  It  is  the  word  which  expresses  the 
gradual  fulfillment  of  vague  and  undeveloped 
aspirations.  Since  it  is  always  most  difficult  to 
establish  a  universal  proposition,  one  should  not 
attempt  more  than  is  necessary  in  any  under- 
taking. Moreover,  since  Christianity  is  a  grow- 
ing religion,  and  since  some  phases  of  thought 
and  life  which  have  seemed  to  Christians  at  one 
time  to  be  absolutely  the  best,  have,  after  added 
knowledge  and  experience,  been  seen  to  be  not 
full-orbed  apprehension  of  spiritual  truth,  the 
adjective  "  better"  is  the  only  correct  term  and 
conception  to  be  used  by  the  Christian  teacher 
in  any  department  of  thought  and  life.  More- 
over, from  my  own  missionary  experience  I  can 
assure  you  that  whereas  a  statement  by  a  Chris- 
tian missionary  that  the  Christian  religion  is 
absolutely  the  best  religion  in  the  world,  strikes 
the  cultivated  non-Christian  as  offensive  and  as 
claiming  too  much,  presenting  that  same  re- 
ligion as  better  than  those  which  have  been  fol- 
lowed  by   non-Christians    hitherto    receives    a 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  41 

more  ready  and  respectful  acceptance  than  any 
other  way  of  teaching  the  helpfulness  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

This  modern  view  of  missions,  based  on  a  new 
view  of  God  and  the  world,  seems  to  some  people 
to  do  away  with  the  need,  or  at  least  with  the 
urgency,  of  foreign  missionary  effort  at  all. 
They  sometimes  say,  "  If  God  is  now  trying  to 
do  all  He  can  for  every  man  in  the  world,  and 
if  His  Spirit's  activity  is  universal,  why  not 
let  the  non-Christian  peoples  alone?  Why  is  it 
necessary  for  Christians  to  do  anything  for 
them?  "  Such  questions  are  illogical  and  arise 
simply  from  failure  to  realize  that  this  modem 
view  applies  not  simply  to  foreign  missions,  but 
to  the  activity  of  Christians  at  home  and  to  all 
philanthropic  and  religious  efforts  of  Christians 
anywhere. 

Who  doubts  that  God  is  doing  all  He  can 
for  every  man  in  Christian  America?  But 
is  that  any  reason  why  the  activity  of  the 
churches,  and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciations, and  the  manifold  organizations  for  the 
spiritual,  social,  and  economic  betterment  of  men 
in  Christian  lands  should  be  given  up?    Is  that 


42     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

a  reason  why  parents  need  do  nothing  for  the 
training  of  their  children,  or  why  all  men  are 
not  under  solemn  obligations  to  God  to  do  their 
best  for  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens  and  for 
all  classes  of  the  community  at  home?  No  one 
would  claim  this.  The  more  that  we  are  con- 
scious of  God's  opening  new  opportunities  to 
other  men,  and  the  more  resources  that  He  has 
given  to  any  man,  the  more  we  recognize  the 
responsibility  of  that  man  to  God  always  to 
do  his  very  best  for  every  man.  It  is  almost 
axiomatic  that  the  man  of  many  privileges  who 
fails  to  recognize  and  meet  his  added  responsi- 
bilities, thereby  incurs  added  sin,  and  suffers 
that  retribution  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
said  would  always  come  upon  those  who  fail  to 
improve  and  to  impart  the  privileges  which  their 
Heavenly  Father  has  kindly  given  to  them. 
"  To  whom  much  is  given,  of  them  much 
also  will  be  required."  When  Peter  first  real- 
ized that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons ;  but 
that  "  in  every  nation  he  that  f  eareth  Him  and 
worketh  righteousness  is  acceptable  to  Him," 
that  did  not  make  him  think  it  needless  to  give 
the  Christian  message.     It  encouraged  him  in 


GOD    AND    THE    WORLD  43 

giving  it.  The  same  conviction  should  be  to  us 
what  it  was  to  Peter,  an  added  reason  for  preach- 
ing Christ.  Nor  did  the  devout  Cornelius  on 
hearing  this  confession  from  Peter  imagine  that, 
because  God  accepts  devout  men  of  every  faith, 
therefore  he  had  no  need  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  On  the  contrary,  he  the  more  promptly 
and  quickly  placed  himself  among  the  disciples 
of  Christ.  Such,  also,  is  the  ordinary  experi- 
ence of  the  devout  non-Christian  nowadays. 
It  is  not  the  broader  and  more  Christian  state- 
ment of  God's  attitude  to  devout  men  in  other 
faiths  which  drives  such  men  from  God,  but  the 
narrower  view,  which  belittles  the  spirit  of  the 
God  who  is  pleased  to  recognize  every  aspira- 
tion and  every  obedience  to  Himself,  whether 
men  have  received  their  inspiration  directly  from 
Jesus  Christ  or  not. 

I  reserve  for  the  sixth  lecture  the  considera- 
tion of  an  additional  gain  to  foreign  missions 
from  the  modem  view  of  God  and  the  world, 
viz.,  the  gain  which  is  to  come  from  mission- 
ary activity  to  Christian  thought  in  lands 
now  Christian,  when  peoples  that  are  now  non- 
Christian  shall  from  their  own  view-points  have 


44     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Lord 
and  spiritual  helper. 

"  God  sends  His  teachers  unto  every  age. 
To  every  clime  and  every  race  of  men, 
With  revelations  fitted  to  their  growth 
And  shape  of  mind,  nor  gives  the  realm  of  truth 
Unto  the  selfish  rule  of  one  sole  race: 
Therefore  each  form  of  worship  that  hath  swayed 
The  life  of  man,  and  given  it  to  grasp 
The  master-key  of  knowledge,  reverence, 
Infolds  some  germs  of  goodness  and  of  right; 
Else  never  had  the  eager  soul,  which  loathes 
The  slothful  down  of  pampered  ignorance, 
Foimd  in  it  even  a  moment's  fitful  rest." 


II 


THE      HISTORICAL      DEVELOPMENT      OF 
HINDUISM 

NOWADAYS  it  is  axiomatic  that  we 
know  nothing  thoroughly  unless  we 
know  it  historically.  Especially  if  we 
wish  to  know  any  subject  that  is  apart  from  us, 
it  is  important  to  know  its  history ;  how  it  came 
to  be  what  it  is.  In  order  to  know  the  ethnic 
religions  aright  we  need  to  know  them  histori- 
cally. As  one  contribution  to  such  an  effort,  I 
offer  a  statement  of  how  Hinduism  came  to  be 
what  it  is.  Hinduism  is  the  religion  of  the  Hin- 
dus. For  the  present  object  of  these  lectures, 
my  definition  of  Hinduism  is  that  it  is  the  inter- 
pretation by  the  Hindus,  in  thought  and  prac- 
tice, of  what  God  has  been  trying  to  teach  them 
about  their  relation  to  Himself  and  to  their  fel- 
lowmen.  The  many  weaknesses  and  errors  of 
Hinduism  are  due  to  the  misapprehension  by 
Hindus  of  the  God  who  was  ever  seeking  to  re- 
veal Himself  to  them,  even  while  they  were  f  eel- 
4>$ 


46     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

ing  after  Him,  if  haply  they  could  find  Him. 
I  believe  that  the  statement  which  is  now  to  be 
made  is,  in  a  large  and  general  way,  psycho- 
logically and  chronologically  correct.  I  would 
not  claim  more  than  that  it  is  correct  in  a  large 
and  general  way,  for  more  information  is  likely 
to  suggest  some  modifications  in  the  description 
which  is  now  made.  But  I  believe  that  the  re- 
ligious literature  of  India,  and  the  present  condi- 
tion of  its  multitudinous  phases,  substantiate  the 
positions  taken. 

Hinduism  is  not  one  homogeneous  system.  It 
is  a  conglomeration  of  beliefs  and  practices, 
many  of  which  are  inconsistent  and  contradic- 
tory. This  is  partly  because  different  elements 
have  gone  to  make  up  Hinduism,  and  very  natu- 
rally in  Hinduism,  as  in  other  religions,  mutually 
inconsistent  beliefs  and  practices  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  masses  without  realizing  that  they 
were  inconsistent.  But  the  same  phenomenon 
appears  more  or  less  in  all  the  religions  of  the 
world,  and  in  other  spheres  than  the  strictly  re- 
ligious. Hinduism  is  a  mixture  of  inconsistent 
and  contradictory  beliefs  and  practices,  partly 
because  the  Hindu  mind  has  come  to  be  so  con- 


DEVELOPMENT   OF   HINDUISM    47 

stituted  that  it  is  not  critical  and  that  it  easily  ^ 
says  "  Yes  "  to  almost  anything  which  is  pre- 
sented to  it.  And,  vice  versa,  the  Hindu  religion 
has  helped  to  make  the  Hindu  mind  thus  vague 
and  in  a  way  comprehensive.  Some  years  ago  I 
was  asked  to  secure  for  publication  in  a  maga- 
zine of  the  Chicago  University,  from  some  recog- 
nized Vaishnava  authority  in  western  India,  a 
statement  of  the  Vaishnava  phase  of  Hinduism, 
i.  e.,  the  sect  of  Hinduism  which  considers 
Vishnu  as  the  chief  god.  In  order  to  ascertain 
who  would  be  regarded  as  such  an  authority  on 
Vaishnavism  I  went  to  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  Hindu  gentleman  in  western  India, 
the  Hon.  Mahadev  Govind  Ranade,  who  was  a 
Justice  of  the  High  Court  in  Bombay  and  long 
president  of  the  Social  Conference  of  India. 
When  I  told  him  what  the  Chicago  University 
wished  me  to  secure.  Judge  Ranade  replied,  "  It 
is  impossible  for  you  or  anyone  to  get  a  state- 
ment of  any  phase  of  Hinduism  which  would 
be  entirely  acceptable  to  anyone  except  the 
writer,  because  there  is  no  one  recognized  state- 
ment of  Hinduism,  and  no  person  authorized  to 
make  a  complete  statement  of  any  phase  of 


48     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Hinduism."  However,  with  a  good  deal  of  diffi- 
culty I  secured  a  statement  which  was  submitted 
first  to  a  Hindu  professor  of  Sanskrit  in  the 
Deccan  College,  Poona,  who  was  a  professing 
Vaishnava.  But  before  he  was  willing  to  give 
even  a  general  sanction  to  the  statement  which 
had  been  submitted  to  him  he  consulted  various 
Hindu  shastris,  i.  e.,  men  learned  in  Hindu  re- 
ligious books.  After  such  careful  examination, 
when  he  returned  the  statement,  he  did  not  seem 
to  feel  that  the  paper  was  an  exact  statement 
of  what  it  professed  to  be.  Such  an  incident 
partly  explains  why  different  persons  make  dif- 
ferent estimates  of  what  Hinduism  really  is. 
Generalization  is  always  dangerous  without  a 
very  large  basis  of  knowledge  and  experience, 
and  even  then  only  when  made  by  a  person  of 
judicial  mental  habits.  Mistaken  estimates  of 
Hinduism  are  very  common,  because  generaliza- 
tions about  it  have  been  made  without  adequate 
knowledge  and  without  adequate  recognition  of 
the  history  of  Hinduism.  Some  missionaries 
have  unintentionally  made  erroneous,  because 
too  sweeping,  statements  of  what  Hinduism  is, 
because  they  supposed  that  those  phases  of  mod- 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    49 

em  popular  Hinduism  with  which  they  have 
come  in  contact  among  the  lower  classes — albeit 
those  lower  classes  form  a  very  large  section  of 
the  community — were  the  whole  of  Hinduism. 
On  the  contrary,  some  Western  visitors  to  India 
and  some  Hindu  visitors  to  the  West  have  made 
equally  erroneous  statements  of  what  Hinduism 
is  by  too  sweeping  assumptions  that  the  more 
spiritual  conceptions  of  the  philosophic  books 
of  the  Hindus  were  the  whole  of  the  Hindu 
religion. 

According  to  the  definition  of  religion  used 
in  these  lectures,  if  the  religion  of  any  peo- 
ple be  taken  as  their  interpretation  of  what 
God  has  been  trying  to  teach  them,  then  a  cor- 
rect statement  of  the  Christian  religion  would 
not  be  a  summary  of  the  most  spiritual  teachings 
of  Jesus  Christ.  It  would  be  the  interpretation 
in  thought  and  in  practice  by  the  Christians  in 
question  of  the  teachings  and  person  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Similarly,  in  a  large  and  broad  sense 
Hinduism  is  not  the  most  spiritual  conception  of 
the  most  philosophic  books.  It  is  the  interpre- 
tation by  the  Hindus  from  early  times  to  the 
present  of  their  relations  to  God  and  men. 


50     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

In  accordance  with  the  modern  view  of  God 
and  the  world,  which  was  claimed  in  the  former 
lecture  as  the  true  way  for  the  wise  missionary 
of  these  times  to  study  Hinduism,  I  believe  that 
a  survey  of  how  it  has  come  to  be  what  it  is 
will  show  the  goodness  of  God  in  seeking  to  re- 
veal Himself  to  His  Hindu  children,  while  it  will 
also  show  how  sadly  they  have  often  misunder- 
stood Him.  Since  God  is  light  and  in  Him  is 
no  darkness  at  all,  He  Himself  has  always  been 
wishing  and  trying  to  reveal  Himself  to  His 
Hindu  children  as  well  as  to  His  other  children. 
In  fact,  it  was  because  He  was  seeking  them  that 
they  felt  after  Him.  But  even  yet  the  Hindu  has 
not  adequately  recognized  that  supreme  charac- 
teristic of  God  which  Jesus  Christ  revealed,  viz., 
that  God  needs  His  human  children,  and  so  longs 
for  them  that  He  counts  no  sacrifice  or  effort 
too  great  to  bring  them  all  into  intimate  filial 
relations  with  Himself. 

This  study  of  the  historic  development  of 
Hinduism  will  probably  give  another  surprising 
revelation  to  some  in  Christian  lands,  viz.,  that 
just  as  no  feature  of  the  religious  history  of 
Israel  is  more  characteristic  and  inspiring  than 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    51 

the  frequency  with  which  protestant  reformers, 
or  prophets,  came  to  protest  against  formality, 
injustice,  and  impurity  among  the  Hebrews,  and 
to  call  them  back  face  to  face  with  a  righteous, 
living  God,  and  thereby  to  strengthen  them  in 
trouble  and  to  purify  them,  so  in  India  there 
have  been  many  protestants  against  the  imper- 
fections of  current  religious  thought,  and  many 
theistic  reformers  of  unsatisfactory  living. 
Probably  more  protestant  reformers  have  ap- 
peared in  the  religious  history  of  India  than  in 
the  religious  history  of  Israel;  perhaps  more 
than  in  the  Christian  Church.  While  this  state- 
ment may  seem  surprising  to  some,  is  it  not  what 
we  should  expect  from  such  a  living,  righteous, 
spiritual,  loving  God,  as  has  been  revealed  to  us 
by  Jesus  Christ  ?  The  Lord  Jesus  never  implied 
or  said  that  God  the  Father  of  the  spirits  of  all 
men  had  through  what  Jesus  himself  did  or  said 
become  different  from  what  He  evermore  had 
been  and  must  be.  Jesus  Christ  came  to  reveal 
the  Father,  not  to  make  God  a  Father.  "  The 
only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  he  hath  revealed  Him,"  not  made  him 
different.    "  He  that  hath  seen  the  Son  hath  seen 


5^     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

the  Father,"  i,  e,,  hath  seen  God  as  He  evermore 
is,  not  as  He  has  become  changed  to  be  through 
Christ's  revelation. 

This  study  will  also  illustrate  the  correctness 
of  the  remark  in  a  former  lecture  that  one  com- 
mon weakness  in  the  religion  of  any  man  or 
people  consists  in  a  mistake  about  proportion,  in 
one-sidedness,  in  over-emphasis  of  one  phase  of 
truth  and  in  neglect  of  other  phases.  It  will 
also  bring  into  new  clearness  and  significance 
the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  one  in  whom 
the  fullness  of  God  dwells:  and  that  as  in  the 
fullness  of  time  twenty  centuries  ago  He  came 
to  fulfill  what  was  in  the  bud  in  the  Judaic  sys- 
tem, so  in  the  present  fullness  of  time  for  India 
He  seeks  to  fulfill  all  partial  and  imperfect  ap- 
prehensions of  truth  which  in  mixed  measure  or 
in  great  error  have  been  perceived  by  the  re- 
ligious teachers  of  that  country.  Such  a  study 
will  also  bring  into  prominence  the  marvelous 
patience  of  God  in  dealing  with  His  human  chil- 
dren: a  patience  so  beautifully  expressed  in  the 
Biblical  phrase,  "With  God  a  thousand  years 
are  as  one  day." 

This  delineation  of  the  historical  development 


DEVELOPMENT   OF    HINDUISM    53 

of  Hinduism  will  also  bring  out  the  usual  double 
tendency  in  thought  and  life  everywhere — ^both 
the  upward  and  the  downward  pull.  What  Paul 
taught  on  this  point  is  the  ordinary  experience 
in  aU  human  nature ;  not  only  the  human  nature 
of  the  Jew  and  the  Greek,  but  also  of  the  Hindu. 
The  spirit  and  the  flesh  are  at  enmity  with  one 
another.  That  is,  God  is  ever  trying  to  pull 
men  up,  and  the  lower  elements  of  human  nature 
are  always  trying  to  pull  men  away  from  God. 
Because  the  downward  tendency  often  had  tem- 
porary victory  in  Israel,  God  sent  protestant  re- 
formers or  prophets  to  that  chosen  people  of 
His.  So,  because  the  downward  tendency  has 
been  more  characteristic  of  Hinduism  than  of 
the  religion  of  Israel,  God  has  sent  protestant 
reformers  to  that  people  also.  The  higher  the 
spiritual  vision  which  was  reached  by  any  of  the 
religious  leaders  and  thinkers  of  India,  the  sad- 
der the  fruits  of  modern  popular  Hinduism  ap- 
pear in  the  well-nigh  universal  prevalence  of 
idolatry,  ignorance,  superstition,  and  caste  in 
that  country,  until  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the 
blessed  God  as  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ  has 
brought  to  that  land  its  fullness  of  time  and  has 


54f     MISSIONS  from  the  JMODERN  VIEW 

begun  to  dissipate  the  darkness  and  error  of 
modern  popular  Hinduism. 

With  these  prehminary  illustrations  of  what 
the  history  of  Hinduism  will  illustrate,  I  now 
briefly  state  how  Hinduism  has  come  to  be  what 
it  is,  viz.,  a  conglomerate  or  mixture  of  the 
diff*erent  religious  thoughts  and  practices  of  the 
Hindus  for  centuries.  Without  giving  many  ex- 
plicit illustrations  of  the  religious  practices  of 
Hindus,  I  shall  speak  briefly  of  those  influences 
or  ideas  which  have  been  formative,  and  which 
have  been  embodied  in  cultus,  as  well  as  in 
thought.  Sometimes  a  succession  of  religious 
strata  is  recognizable,  like  geological  strata  on 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  But  because  religion 
is  a  living  thing,  more  often  the  diff*erent  phase? 
of  life  which  have  made  up  Hinduism  have  be- 
come very  much  intermingled.  For  this  reason 
it  is  not  now  easy  to  distinguish  the  diff*erent 
elements. 

In  general,  the  hill  tribes  and  low  castes  of 
India  are  largely  the  survivors  of  those  people 
of  Kolarian  or  Dravidian  origin  who  inhabited 
India  before  the  Aryans  entered  that  land.  In 
the   religious   thought   and  practices   of  these 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    55 

lower  classes  of  the  community  we  see  a  large 
measure  of  the  earliest  formative  principle  of 
what  has  brought  about  the  huge  religious  mass 
now  called  the  Hindu  religion.  That  first 
formative  principle  was  the  principle  of  fear. 
Fear  is  a  considerable  part  of  the  religion  of 
many,  perhaps  of  most,  men  in  most  religions. 
But  certainly  in  the  thought  and  practice  of  the 
lower  classes  in  India  fear  easily  was,  and  still 
is,  the  original  and  most  essential  principle ;  fear 
of  the  unknown,  of  the  dark,  because  it  includes 
the  unknown;  of  dangerous  places  and  danger- 
ous animals ;  of  unexplained  and  strange  phe- 
nomena, such  as  eclipses,  comets,  etc. ;  fear  of 
disease,  of  death,  etc.  As  primitive  Hindus 
came  into  contact  with  such  phases  of  life  they 
naturally  wished  and  sought  for  escape  from 
such  fearful  influences.  And  they  sought  to 
secure  escape  by  propitiating  the  unknown  and 
the  terrible.  Once  as  I  was  going  for  a  tramp 
on  a  mountain  range  my  guide  said,  "  Before 
we  start,  let  me  go  and  make  a  vow  to  my  god." 
I  followed  him,  and  after  he  had  stood  a  moment 
under  a  sacred  tree,  I  asked,  "  Wliat  did  you 
vow?  "    He  replied,  "  I  vowed  to  hang  a  bell  in 


56     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

the  tree,  if  I  should  see  no  snake  on  this  excur- 
sion." Snakes  are  the  objects  most  feared  in 
those  hills,  and  the  reason  why,  without  under- 
standing the  real  reason,  he  vowed  to  hang  a 
bell  in  the  branches  was,  no  doubt,  this:  Snakes 
are  afraid  of  noises.  Therefore,  whenever  the 
wind  shakes  the  tree  and  makes  the  bell  tinkle, 
a  snake  dislikes  to  stay  under  that  tree.  So  it 
is  not  strange  that  those  rude  and  superstitious 
people  vaguely  connect  a  sacred  tree  having 
bells  hanging  in  its  branches  with  some  power 
which  helps  to  drive  away  snakes. 

The  second  formative  principle  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Hinduism  came  from  the  early 
immigrants  of  Aryan  stock.  It  was  principally 
the  influence  of  the  more  helpful  phases  of 
Nature.  This  fact  appears  in  the  hymns  of  the 
Rig  Veda.  Songs,  prayers,  and  offerings  are 
made  to  the  sky,  sun,  moon,  dawn,  woods,  fire, 
rain,  etc.  This  fact  is  so  well  known  that  illus- 
trations from  Vedic  hymns  are  hardly  needed. 
When  those  earliest  Aryans  came  in  contact  with 
the  dark-skinned  Dravidians  who  were  in  the 
land  before  them,  then  that  happened  which 
usually  happens  when  people  of  different  re- 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    57 

ligious  ideas  intermingle.  The  religion  of  the 
earlier  people  absorbed  something  from  the 
brighter,  the  more  cheerful  thought  of  their 
Aryan  masters,  while  the  religion  of  the  Aryans 
was  also  affected  somewhat  by  the  darker  as- 
pects of  their  servants'  religion.  Masters  can- 
not help  being  influenced  by  the  ideas  and  prac- 
tices of  servants,  even  as  servants  cannot  help 
being  influenced  by  the  ideas  and  practices  of 
their  masters.  However  far  one  advances  into 
the  labyrinth  of  Hinduism,  he  always  finds  super- 
stition, devils,  demons,  magic,  witchcraft,  and 
uncanny  things,  which  are  the  earliest  element  of 
Hinduism  surviving  to  the  present  day  in  the 
religion  of  a  great  many  Hindus.  Yet  the 
brighter  aspect  of  Nature,  which  was  the  special 
contribution  of  the  primitive  Aryans  to  Hindu- 
ism, has  also  had  its  part  in  making  Hinduism 
what  it  is  to-day.  The  justification  of  this  posi- 
tion and  an  illustration  of  the  mingling  of  these 
two  elements  can  be  given  from  the  well-known 
fact  that  the  Atharva  Veda,  which  is  later  than 
the  Rig  Veda,  has  both  the  hymns  of  the  Rig 
Veda  and  the  magic  and  charms  and  maledic- 
tions which  came  from  the  first  element  of  Hindu- 


58     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

ism.  Superstition  lingers  very,  very  long  in 
man,  and  even  those  who  consider  themselves 
most  cultured  and  most  philosophical  in  the  most 
privileged  sections  of  America  still  have  many 
strange  and  injurious  superstitions  influencing 
them  in  thought  and  life. 

As  life  became  more  complex  and  the  roving 
companies  of  Aryans  settled  into  community  life, 
and  society  became  more  coherent,  and  the  in- 
terests of  different  communities  seemed  to  clash, 
and  difficulties  increased,  a  third  formative  in- 
fluence came  into  the  making  of  the  religion  of 
India.  The  characteristics  of  strong  leaders  of 
the  community  became  more  valued  and  more  in- 
fluential than  the  various  aspects  of  physical 
Nature.  Men  of  strength  and  courage  were 
considered  worthy  of  more  honor.  They  were 
praised  not  only  while  alive,  but  after  their 
death,  and  the  apotheosis  of  former  heroes  be- 
came a  prominent  principle  in  the  thought  and 
life  of  the  country.  In  all  religions  hero-wor- 
ship has  been  a  prominent  and  formative  influ- 
ence. In  the  period  succeeding  Vedic  times  hero- 
worship  was  the  principal  element  in  literature 
and  in  religion.    It  certainly  was  so  in  the  epic 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    59 

poems  which  have  exerted  so  great  an  influence 
in  India,  and  it  was  so  even  in  times  earlier  than 
the  great  epics. 

But  as  life  became  still  more  complex,  and  as 
knowledge  and  skill  naturally  took  precedence 
of  physical  force  and  courage,  wise  men  became 
more  and  more  influential,  and  the  memories  of 
wise  men  gone  received  more  and  more  attention 
and  became  objects  of  reverence  in  the  thought 
of  the  times.    In  no  country  has  knowledge  come 
to   have   the   preeminence  that   it   has   had   in 
India.      There  knowledge   is   the   great  thing. 
Nothing   in   Indian   thought   and   Hfe,   neither 
money,  material  advantages,  social  prominence, 
nor  political  power,  have  ever  been  such  objects 
of  respect  and  desire  as  they  are  in  the  West. 
It  is  knowledge  or  wisdom  which  is  the  great 
thing.     Even  the  rites  and  institutions  of  re- 
ligion have  been  valued  by  the  thoughtful  in 
India  not  for  their  own  sakes,  but  as  the  means 
of  securing  knowledge.    And  as  knowledge  came 
to  have  such  a  preeminence  it  grew  into  the  be- 
lief that  man's  spirit  is  not  only  his  chief  ele- 
ment, is  not  mortal;  it  is  a  part  of  or  is  even 
identical  with  the  universal  and  immortal.  There 


60     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

was  nothing  too  much  to  inquire  into.  Yet  even 
in  those  times  the  teachers  of  India  recognized 
some  limitations  to  the  understanding.  In  the 
Brihad  Aranyaka  Upanishad  III.  6  after  a  pupil 
had  over  and  over  again  pushed  inquiries  in 
ontology  the  teacher  Yajnavalkya  said,  "  Do 
not  over-question  lest  your  head  fall  off.  In 
truth  you  are  over-questioning  a  divinity 
about  which  further  questions  cannot  be  asked." 
There  are  two  results  of  this  kind  of  thinking. 
One  result  was  the  feeling  that  nothing  is  real: 
that  life  is  not  worth  living.  In  other  words, 
the  first  result  was  pessimism.  It  was  just  the 
result  which  came  to  the  thinker  in  Ecclesiastes, 
"  Vanity  of  vanities ;  all  is  vanity."  The  other 
result  was  that  the  thinkers  knew,  and  plain  men 
knew,  that  this  kind  of  philosophy  was  of  no 
use  for  the  masses ;  and  so  endless  rites  and  mean- 
ingless ceremonies  were  placed  upon  the  common 
crowd,  which  came  to  be  a  yoke  that  pressed  most 
sorely  upon  their  hearts  and  lives. 

So,  while  search  by  the  intellect  for  a  bet- 
ter understanding  of  the  inward  meaning 
of  religion  was  an  upward  response  to  what 
God    was    trying    to    teach    the    Hindus,    yet 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    61 

in  this  connection  there  developed  one  of  the 
greatest  dangers  to  true  religion,  viz.,  pride 
of  intellect  and  contempt  of  common  men. 
The  thinkers  sought  to  spin  out  their  specu- 
lation finer  and  finer,  but  they  did  not  con- 
sider how  they  could  better  help  their  less  culti- 
vated fellowmen.  They  sought  knowledge  only 
for  itself.  For  the  masses  they  formed  an  ex- 
oteric system  of  rituals  and  sacrifices,  and  for 
the  initiated  an  esoteric  system.  While  theoreti- 
cally rites  and  sacrifices  were  elevated  into  usage 
only  for  the  common  people,  the  priests  and 
teachers  themselves  fell  into  the  practice  be- 
cause they  could  not  command  such  practices 
on  the  masses  without  themselves  taking  a  part 
in  what  they  commanded.  The  word  Yoga, 
meaning  "  union,"  is  a  principal  word  at  this 
time,  and  Yoga  as  both  the  aim  and  the 
means  of  union  with  the  divine  was  made 
to  consist  largely  in  terrible  austerities.  Reli- 
gion became  mainly  a  yoke  of  ceremonies  and 
formulas,  beginning  for  the  individual  be- 
fore he  was  bom  and  continuing  for  two  or  three 
generations  in  his  family  after  he  had  left  this 
world.    The  object  of  Yoga  was  not  to  develop 


62     MISSIONS  frovi  the  MODERN  VIEW 

into  their  fullest  exercise  the  natural  powers  of 
body  and  mind,  and  all  the  sweet  relations  of 
human  society,  but  to  restrict  and  put  them 
away.  The  result  was  disastrous  in  two  direc- 
tions. It  was  disastrous  for  the  thinkers,  be- 
cause it  displaced  simple  and  natural  living  by 
formal  introspection.  It  was  disastrous  for  the 
masses,  because  religion  was  thought  to  consist 
in  meaningless  and  formal  external  acts.  The 
thinker  went  into  pantheism;  not  into  recog- 
nition of  a  personal  God,  but  of  an  impersonal 
chain  of  events,  in  which  the  doctrine  of  Karma 
made  the  whole  course  of  life  here  and  hereafter 
one  of  fate.  Pride  of  intellect  always  injures 
both  heart  and  will.  It  caused  coldness  of 
heart  among  the  leaders  of  the  Hindu  religion. 
Instead  of  inspiring  the  leaders  to  instruct 
and  uphft  the  masses,  it  made  them  mislead 
the  masses  with  set  purpose.  The  priests  be- 
came unscrupulous,  selfish,  and  greedy;  and 
formalism  resulted  in  hypocrisy,  as  it  always 
must  with  intelligent  men.  Meanwhile  ceaseless 
and  meaningless  rites  turned  the  religion  of  the 
masses  also  into  formahsm,  which  is  the  first 
great  bane  of  religion.     So,  whereas  the  fuller 


DEVELOPMENT   OF    HINDUISM    65 

use  of  the  intellect  should  have  diminished  the 
principle  of  fear  in  the  religion  of  the  Hindus, 
formalism  and  sacerdotalism  wrought  the  very 
opposite  result.     For  now  it  was  not  only  fear 
of  the  unknown  in  men's  immediate  surroundings 
for  this  world,  but  fear  of  the  unknown  future 
which  became  the  most  influential  motive  in  the 
religion   of   the   people.      The   common   people 
were  afraid  of  their  religious  leaders.    The  curse 
of  an  ascetic  was  supposed  to  cause  unavoidable 
and  irresistible   injury   in   this   world   and   the 
next.     Sin  was  not  principally  unethical  con- 
duct, but  the  omission  of  ceremonials  and  the  dis- 
regard of  custom.     The  only  possible  expiation 
for  such  sin  was  not  in  true  repentance  and  a 
better  life,  but  in  the  heaviest  mortifications,  in 
piling  up  good  deeds  to  overcome  demerit.    Also, 
because  the  masses  could  not  understand  nor  ac- 
cept pantheism  pure  and  simple,  its  logical  oppo- 
site, viz.,  polytheism,  came  into  common  accep- 
tance.   This  is  the  nemesis  which  may  always  be 
expected   for   pride   and   selfishness.      The  All- 
god,  or  It,  could  be  recognized  by  the  common 
people    only  in  its  partial  presence  in  manifold 
forms   and   places.      Therefore   many   gods   in 


64     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

many  sacred  places  came  to  be  worshiped  by 
the  common  people. 

But  despite  this  new  misreading  of  God's 
intention,  He  was  still  working  to  reveal  Himself 
to  His  Hindu  children,  and  the  next  upward 
movement  was  one  which  emphasized  the  more 
spiritual  truth  that  not  knowledge,  but  good- 
ness and  helpfulness  to  brother-men,  is  the  great 
thing  in  religion.  This  first  great  protestant 
reformation  in  India  came  through  Siddartha, 
or  Gautama,  who  became  the  Buddha,  or  "  en- 
lightened one."  He  was  a  contemporary  of  that 
Isaiah  who  was  the  most  inspired  and  inspiring 
prophet  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Babylonish 
captivity.  As  the  great  prophet  of  the  cap- 
tivity under  the  inspiration  of  God  brought  to 
the  people  of  Israel  in  their  decline  a  protest 
against  formality,  injustice,  and  unbrotherliness, 
and  taught  that  God  could  be  pleased  by  nothing 
save  righteous  living,  so  by  God's  help  Sid- 
dartha became  the  enlightened  one  and  similarly 
protested  against  formality  and  unbrotherliness 
among  the  Hindus.  As  a  protestant  against 
the  burdensome  religion  of  the  Brahman  priests 
the  Buddha  became  an  apostle  of  the  simple  and 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    65 

pure  life.  He  protested  against  the  uselessness 
and  the  harm  of  formality.  He  preached  the 
necessity  and  value  of  kindness,  gentleness,  and 
purity.  He  came  In  "  a  fullness  of  time  " ;  for 
caste  had  become  a  tremendous  burden  on  the 
social  system  and  was  Injuring  both  the  upper 
and  the  lower  classes  by  Increasing  pride  and 
hard  feelings.  The  people  were  ripe  for  a  more 
human  system,  and  the  caste  system  which  Brah- 
manlsm  had  made  so  burdensome  was  largely 
modified  by  Buddha  and  his  followers.  The 
tyranny  of  a  religion  consisting  of  meaningless 
ceremonies  was  largely  put  away,  and  a  more 
simple  religion  of  kindness  and  purity  sup- 
planted the  religion  of  the  Brahmans.  The  new 
system  gradually  developed  into  the  Buddhism 
which  we  know. 

But,  though  Buddha  was  enlightened  on  some 
very  fundamental  points,  he  did  not  apprehend, 
as  the  great  prophet  of  Israel  did,  the  most  Im- 
portant of  all  points,  viz.,  that  ethical  culture  ^/ 
could  not  take  the  place  of  loyalty  to  a  personal 
God.  Practically  Buddha  had  nothing  to  say 
about  God  at  all,  so  that  strictly  he  was  not 
atheistic,  but  non-thelstic  in  his  teachings  and 


66    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

influence.  However,  though  he  did  not  say  any- 
thing about  a  personal  God,  yet  his  own  per- 
sonality was  probably  the  principal  inspiration 
which  gave  force  and  permanence  to  his  teach- 
ings. His  example  and  life  are  even  to  this  day 
considered  by  devout  Buddhists  as  the  principal 
attraction  of  men.  Buddha  himself  became 
practically  deified.  By  the  impulse  of  his  teach- 
ings and  Hfe  for  nearly  a  thousand  years 
Buddhism  supplanted  Brahmanism.  This  spread 
and  development  of  Buddhism  also  depended  a 
good  deal  upon  political  power  and  circum- 
stances. For  in  about  three  hundred  years  after 
Buddha's  time  the  great  emperor  Ashoka 
adopted  the  Buddhist  faith,  gathered  councils 
to  unify  and  consolidate  the  teachings  of 
Buddhism,  built  buildings  for  it,  caused  im- 
portant inscriptions  to  be  cut  on  various  monu- 
ments, sent  out  missionaries,  and  gave  Buddhism 
a  prevalence  which  it  probably  would  not  other- 
wise have  secured.  However,  in  the  lapse  of 
time  several  great  changes  came  over  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  rehgion  which  Gautama  had 
taught.  Veneration  for  him  extended  to  articles 
and  places  with  which  he  had  been  connected. 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    61 

His  images  were  made  and  scattered  all  over 
the  land.  Such  reverence  soon  developed  into 
idolatry.  While  idols  are  not  referred  to  in  the 
Rig  Veda,  it  is  most  probable  that  some  places 
and  objects  had  been  practically  worshiped 
from  the  earliest  times  by  the  most  backward 
classes.  But  later  Buddhism  increased  idolatry 
more  than  any  other  influence  in  India,  and  the 
substitution  of  rites  and  ceremonies  obscured  the 
spiritual  light  which  God  had  revealed  through 
Buddha,  and  Buddhism,  too,  became  largely  a 
formal  religion. 

In  this  connection  a  brief  statement  should 
be  made  about  a  movement  closely  allied  to 
Buddhism,  which  started  at  about  the  same  time 
and  which  has  had  some  survival  to  the  present, 
viz.,  the  Jain  revival.  It  was  at  first  both  an 
ethical  and  intellectual  revolt  against  the  ritual- 
ism and  pantheism  of  the  preceding  period 
when  that  phase  of  Hinduism  called  Brah- 
manism  was  in  the  ascendency.  Mahavira,  the 
reputed  founder  of  Jainism,  like  Buddha,  was 
of  royal  birth.  Unlike  Buddha,  the  metaphysics 
which  he  taught  was  a  sort  of  dualism,  a  distinc- 
tion between  the  individual  spirit  and  the  world 


68     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

spirit.  It  started  with  making  the  three  gems 
of  religion  to  be  right  knowledge,  right  intui- 
tion, right  life.  Like  Buddhism,  but  with 
greater  emphasis,  Jainism  has  placed  special 
emphasis  on  the  doctrine  of  non-injury  to  all 
life,  even  to  the  humblest  insect  life.  But  like 
Buddhism,  Jainism  has  gradually  given  more 
and  more  emphasis  to  the  importance  of  ascet- 
icism for  the  professedly  religious  class,  has  de- 
veloped monastic  institutions,  has  developed 
degrading  views  of  reincarnation  and  hell,  and 
made,  not  the  good  of  others,  but  the  suppression 
of  the  normal  powers  of  mind  and  body  the  prin- 
cipal thing  in  religion;  while  for  the  common 
classes  to  eat  and  enjoy  in  this  life  became  the 
essence  of  religion.  But  Jainism  has  had  little 
practical  influence  on  the  religious  thought  of 
India.  At  present  it  has  become  a  religion  in 
which  the  chief  points  are  the  practical  denial 
of  a  personal  God ;  reverence  amounting  to  wor- 
ship of  the  high  priests  of  the  religion ;  and  the 
nourishing  of  vermin  and  other  lower  forms  of 
animal  life.  So  for  both  Buddhism  and  Jainism 
the  old  story  has  been  repeated.  The  spiritual 
sense  of  their  worshipers  became  dulled,  formal- 


DEVELOPMENT   OF   HINDUISM    69 

ism  took  a  new  lease  of  life,  and  the  ceremonies 
and  superstitions  of  Hinduism  prior  to  the  Bud- 
dhistic reformation  returned.  The  evil  spirit 
which  had  been  cast  out  came  back  with  seven 
other  spirits  worse  than  itself. 

After  the  Buddhist  period  the  man  who  for 
the  thinking  class  brought  about  the  revival  of 
Hindu  Pantheism  was  the  greatest  modem 
Hindu  religious  teacher,  Shankaracharya.  In 
the  ninth  century  a.d.  he  developed  Hindu 
thought  into  a  well-ordered  pantheistic  system 
by  his  commentaries  on  the  Vedanta  Sutra.  But 
the  Hinduism  of  the  period  from  the  ninth  cen- 
tury onward  was  still  a  conglomerate,  heteroge- 
neous mass  of  elements  drawn  from  the  religion 
of  the  aborigines,  where  fear  was  the  formative 
principle;  from  the  Vedic  period,  where  the 
brighter  aspects  of  nature  were  more  formative ; 
from  the  post- Vedic  period,  when  hero-worship 
had  large  influence ;  from  the  Upanishad  period 
when  reverence  for  knowledge  was  considered 
still  higher ;  and  from  the  Buddhist  revival,  when 
goodness  and  helpfulness  to  men  were  considered 
more  truly  what  religion  rightly  is.  However, 
the  flesh  had  again  won  the  victory  over  the 


70     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

spirit ;  and  now  not  only  was  formality  in  the 
ascendant,  but  even  immorality,  and  sometimes 
bestiality,  came  into  great  prominence  in  the 
religion  of  India.  Scholars  truly  say  that  the 
literature  of  India  is  so  largely  a  mixture  of 
newer  additions  and  interpolations  with  the  older 
strata  that  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  the  dif- 
ferent elements.  But  certainly  after  the  decline 
of  Buddhism  polytheism  (with  a  sub-stratum  of 
pantheism),  idolatry,  and  caste,  came  to  be  the 
controlling  elements  in  popular  Hinduism.  Even 
gods  were  represented  as  in  many  respects  im- 
moral. This  interpretation  was  doubtless  due 
in  considerable  measure  to  the  literalizing  of 
language  which  was  originally  figurative, 
though  sensuous.  Thus  the  older  and  more 
spiritual  Krishna  of  the  Bhagavad  Gita  became 
the  immoral  Krishna  of  the  later  stories.  The 
Manes  or  departed  spirits  became  semi-deified. 
By  sacrifices  and  austerities  priests  and  holy 
men  came  to  be  thought  to  possess  power  at 
which  the  gods  trembled.  The  gods  tried  to 
entice  holy  men  into  sin.  Personified  Fate  was 
the  mightiest  of  powers.  The  sacred  books  de- 
scribe the  downward  course  of  religious  life  by 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    71 

the  universal  recognition  of  the  four  ages  as 
Krita,  Treta,  Dvapara,  and  Kah,  corresponding 
to  the  classic  descent  from  the  golden  to  the 
iron  age;  the  present  being  the  Kali,  or  the 
sinful  age.  Every  Hindu  reformer  makes  the 
same  assertion,  that  the  present  state  of  religion  4 
In  India  is  that  of  a  sad  decline.  In  this  de- 
praved condition  the  Puranas  are  the  litera- 
ture which  exhibit  Hinduism  at  its  lowest  level. 
They  are  full  of  exaggerations,  miracles,  and 
puerilities.  Some  of  these  taught  a  somewhat 
spiritual  interpretation.  But  others  taught  very 
unworthy  doctrines.  Where  any  altruistic  re- 
gard for  the  good  of  fellowmen  prevailed,  there 
was  some  response  to  the  upward  drawing  of 
God.  Where  only  selfish  considerations  pre- 
vailed, there  the  tendency  was  toward  both 
superstition  and  immorality.  Thus  most  of  the 
sects  of  modem  Hinduism  have  what  are  called 
a  right-hand  and  a  left-hand  phase.  The  left- 
hand  phase  is  confessedly  immoral.  In  general, 
the  sects  of  Shaivism,  i.  e.,  those  who  regard 
Shiva  as  the  great  god,  have  the  grosser  and 
more  despicable  characteristics,  while  the  sects 
of  Valshnavism,  that  is  those  who  regard  Vishnu 


72    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

as  the  great  god,  are  with  some  exceptions  of  a 
less  unworthy  character.  Among  other  debas- 
ing characteristics  Shiva  was  considered  the  god 
of  thieves ;  and  many  unworthy  beliefs  and  prac- 
tices come  under  the  head  of  Shaivism.  Prob- 
ably the  most  immoral  and  sensual  sect  of  Vaish- 
navism  is  that  of  the  Vallabhas  which  is  found 
especially  in  Bombay  and  Kutch.  Their  spirit- 
ual leaders,  entitled  Maharajas,  are  considered 
incarnations  of  God  and  command  the  absolute 
devotion  of  their  followers.  Their  worship  is 
often  erotic  and  immoral  in  tendency.  But 
the  downward  tendency  of  popular  reli- 
gion is  especially  seen  in  its  worst  phase 
as  described  in  the  late  books  called  the 
"  Tantras."  Here  are  stated  in  some  detail 
some  of  the  secret  practices  of  that  large 
branch  of  modem  popular  Hinduism  denom- 
inated Shaktas,  L  e.,  those  who  especially  wor- 
ship shaJcti,  the  female  principle.  That  I  may 
not  perhaps  be  thought  to  make  an  over-state- 
ment, I  will  quote  from  Prof.  E.  W.  Hopkins,  the 
successor  of  Prof.  W.  D.  Whitney  and  the 
present  professor  of  Sanskrit  in  Yale  Univer- 
sity :    "  Obscenity    is    the    soul    of    this    cult. 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    73 

.     .     .     In     practice,     Shakti-worship,     when 
unveiled,  amounts  to  this:  that  men  and  women 
of  the  same  class  and  family  indulge  in  a  Bac- 
chanalian orgy,  and  that,  as  they  proceed,  they 
give  themselves  over  to  every  excess  which  liquor 
and  lust  can  promote.     A  description  of  the  dif- 
ferent rites  would  be  to  reduplicate  an  account 
of   indecencies   of  which  the  least  vile   is   too 
esoteric  to  sketch  faithfully.     Vaguely  to  out- 
line one  such  religious  festival  will  suffice.     A 
naked  woman,  wife  of  the  chief  priest,  sits  in 
the  middle  of  the  '  holy  circle.'     She  represents 
Durga,  the  divine  female  principle.     The  Bac- 
chic orgy  begins  with  hard  drinking.     Shiva  as 
Bhairava,  the  '  dreadful,'  has  his  human  coun- 
terpart also,  who  must  then  and  there  pair  with 
the  impersonated  Durga.     The  worship  proper 
consists   in   a   repetition   of   numerous   mantra 
syllables   and  yells;  the  worship   improper,  in 
indulgence   in   wine   and  women    (particularly 
enjoined    in    books    called    Tantras).     Human 
sacrifices  at  these  rites  are  said  to  be  extinct  at 
the  present  day.     But  blood  lust  is  appeased  by 
the  hacking  of  their  own  bodies.     Garments  are 
cast  in   a  heap   and   lots   are   drawn   for   the 


74    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

women's  garments  by  the  men.  With  her  whose 
clothes  he  gets  each  man  continues  the  debauch, 
inviting  incest  in  addition  to  all  other  excess." 
But  while  aU  this  degrading  movement  was 
going  on  in  a  considerable  part  of  Hinduism, 
the  living  God  was  not  leaving  himself  without 
witness,  even  as  Paul  said  to  the  men  of  Lystra. 
In  the  latter  half  of  the  fifteenth  century,  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  India,  God  raised  up  a 
reformer  named  Chaitanya,  who  was  a  contem- 
porary of  Luther.  Like  Luther,  he,  too,  pro- 
tested against  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by 
meritorious  deeds  and  austerities.  He  preached 
salvation  by  hhaktl,  that  is  by  trustful  adora- 
tion of  God.  Like  most  religious  reformers  in 
India  he  also  protested  against  caste.  It  was  in 
some  measure  the  counterpart  of  the  reformation 
in  Germany  led  by  Luther,  in  which  salvation, 
not  by  merit,  but  by  faith,  was  the  spiritual 
truth  which  brought  about  the  great  Protestant 
Reformation  of  Christianity.  Chaitanya's  doc- 
trine of  salvation  by  hhakti — or  the  devotion  of 
love — ^was,  however,  expressed  in  sensuous  lan- 
guage which  is  common  to  religion  in  India.  It 
was   represented  that   the  devotee   should  feel 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    75 

toward  God  such  affection  as  a  young  man  feels 
for  a  young  woman.  Yet  probably  Chaitanya 
himself  meant  by  these  words  not  any  physical  or 
sensual  affection.  He  taught  the  value  of  sing- 
ing and  dancing  and  other  outward  means  of 
arousing  the  religious  fervor  which  would  ex- 
press bhakti  or  love  to  God.  But,  whereas  Chai- 
tanya began  with  spiritual  principles,  his  fol- 
lowers soon  fell  into  quarrels  and  fanaticism 
and  even  immorality.  And  a  new  illustra- 
tion occurred  of  the  power  of  the  flesh  to  quench 
the  spirit. 

I  return  now  to  another  means  which  God  used 
to  remind  men  of  Himself,  and  which  was  a  pro- 
test against  polytheism,  idolatry,  and  caste, 
which  three  elements  have  always  been  the  bane 
of  all  unsound  religious  teaching  in  India. 
Chronologically  this  new  influence  began  earlier 
than  the  later  phases  of  Hinduism  which  have 
just  been  described.  It  came  through  the  con- 
tact of  Islam  with  India.  This  religion  of  the 
Mohammedans  who  conquered  northern  India 
was  not  Mohammedanism  at  its  best ;  but  it  had 
some  pure  and  strong  features.  It  passionately 
emphasized  monotheism,  and  the  folly  and  wrong 


76     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

of  idolatry.  In  many  places  this  passion  was 
exhibited  by  the  breaking  of  idols,  the  disfigur- 
ing of  Hindu  temples,  and  the  sequestering  of 
the  endowment  of  priests  and  temples.  Certain 
Mohammedan  kings,  notably  Akbar  the  Just, 
who  invited  Hindus  to  his  court  and  gave  them 
opportunity  to  study  other  faiths  and  to  influ- 
ence one  another,  exercised  a  liberalizing  in- 
fluence on  Hinduism.  In  various  ways  the 
influence  of  the  monotheism  and  the  spiritual 
worship  of  Islam  led  many  thinkers  in  northern 
India  to  give  up  pantheism  and  idolatry.  Yet 
the  Hindu  type  of  monotheism  among  Hindu 
reformers  was  a  distinctively  diff^erent  type  from 
the  monotheism  of  the  Mohammedans.  Hindu 
monotheism  recognized  the  immanence  of  one  God 
in  His  universe,  as  the  distinctive  God  of  Islam 
never  was  thought  to  abide  in  men.  One  of  the 
most  valuable  results  of  such  an  historical  study 
of  the  development  of  the  religion  of  India  is 
the  clear  fact  that,  as  different  changes  came 
about,  the  Hindus  modified,  but  never  broke 
away  from,  their  past  religious  inheritance. 
The  influence  of  Mohammedanism  was  really 
considerable,  for  God  used  Islam  as  the  chief 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUIS:\I    77 

stimulus  to  new  protestant  reformers  in  India. 
One  of  the  most  prominent  of  these  was  Kabir, 
who  probably  lived  in  the  early  part  of  the  fif- 
teenth century.  He  powerfully  assailed  poly- 
theism and  idolatry,  ridiculed  the  authority  of 
the  sacred  books,  and  taught  that  the  spirit  is  the 
only  authority  in  religion.  But  there  appeared 
in  him  and  in  his  followers  that  same  lack  of 
balance  and  consistency  which  has  made  many 
spiritual  reforms  largely  valueless.  He  eventu- 
ally had  an  apotheosis.  His  disciples  required 
such  obedience  to  him  as  made  him  almost  a 
deity.  Even  now  in  western  and  northern 
India  one  comes  across  followers  of  Kabir,  who 
quote  admirable  spiritual  sentiments  from  their 
teacher  of  five  centuries  ago.  Later  in  the  fif- 
teenth century  in  the  Pan  jab,  where  Mohamme- 
danism has  come  into  closest  contact  with  Hindu- 
ism, God  raised  up  another  protestant  reformer, 
Nanak,  the  first  acknowledged  founder  of  the 
Sikh  religion.  The  word  "  Sikh  "  exactly  means 
"  disciple."  The  controlling  principles  of  the 
Sikh  religion  were,  as  most  reforms  in  later 
times  have  been,  protests  against  pantheism, 
polytheism.  Idolatry,  formality,  injustice,  and 


78     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

caste.  The  protests  of  the  prophets  of  Israel 
were  largely  directed  against  the  very  same  evils , 
and  the  teaching  of  Nanak  and  his  successors, 
notably  Arjun  and  Guru  Govind  Singh,  were 
collected  in  a  sacred  book  or  "  Granth."  The 
spiritual  power  of  this  purer  religion  made  the 
Sikhs  a  militant  body  which  became  a  most 
powerful  political  force  in  the  Panjab.  Guru 
Govind  instituted  the  worship  of  the  sword  and 
the  book.  But  though  this  religious  reforma- 
tion received  its  initial  inspiration  from  Islam, 
it  remained  truly  Indian.  The  Sikhs  never  be- 
came Mohammedans;  on  the  contrary,  they 
fought  them.  However,  starting  with  a  spiritual 
religion  and  with  some  degree  of  brotherhood, 
the  Sikhs  have  degenerated  into  formality. 
While  rejecting  the  Vedas  and  caste,  they  prac- 
tically worship  the  various  gods  of  the  Hindus. 
They  even  worship  the  Granth,  ^.  e.,  their  sacred 
book,  with  incense  and  offerings,  which  is  the 
regular  Hindu  worship  of  idols.  It  is  a  closed 
book  which  they  worship.  Sikhism,  like  Islam, 
being  the  religion  of  a  book,  has  ceased  to  be 
a  growing  religion,  and  is  therefore  a  decay- 
ing religion.  So  certainly  is  Sikhism  a  dying  re- 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    79 

llgion  that  recently  an  appeal  was  made  to  the 
British  government  of  India  to  do  something 
to  revive  Sikhism,  on  the  plea  that  if  the  religion 
which  had  made  the  Sikhs  a  fighting  people  and 
loyal  to  rulers  should  die,  then  the  militant  spirit 
would  die  out  in  the  race  which  has  supplied 
splendid  fighters  for  the  British  army.  More 
conclusive  evidence  that  Sikhism  is  a  dying 
religion  could  not  be  given  than  such  an  appeal 
for  help  from  the  secular  power  of  a  Christian 
king.  In  the  sixteenth  century  another  great 
reformer  named  Dadu  arose  in  the  Northwest, 
where  Mohammedanism  had  been  influential. 
Dadu,  too,  emphasized  monotheism,  the  spiritual 
worship  of  God,  and  the  evil  of  caste.  Some  of 
his  teachings  are  of  a  high  spiritual  order.  He 
emphasized  the  immanence  and  love  of  God,  and 
taught  that  salvation  consists  in  goodness.  But 
as  usual  among  Hindus,  his  followers  have  split 
up  into  a  great  many  subdivisions  and  fallen 
into  much  formality.  In  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury other  reforming  sects  arose,  such  as  the 
Babalas  and  the  Sadhus ;  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury the  Satnamis,  i.  ^.,  worshipers  of  the  true 
name. 


80     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

!A.t  last  I  turn  to  the  influence  of  Christianity 
on  the  religious  development  of  India.  Though 
some  claim  that  centuries  ago  Christianity  had 
some  considerable  influence  in  modifying  Hindu- 
ism, I  am  strongly  of  the  opinion  that  this  is  a 
strained  and  mistaken  inference.  There  are 
some  resemblances  between  some  stories  of 
Krishna  and  some  events  in  the  Hfe  of  Christ. 
But  these  have  not  been  borrowed  on  either  side. 
They  are  independent  and  accidental  resem- 
blances which  really  show  the  diff*erence  between 
the  two  stories.  The  most  influential  and  fair- 
minded  Indian  scholar  on  these  subjects,  Prof. 
R.  G.  Bhandarkar,  told  me  that  this  is  his  im- 
pression also.  Similarly,  it  has  been  thought 
that  the  Hindu  triad  or  trimurtti,  which 
seems  unquestionably  to  be  rather  a  late 
idea  of  Hinduism,  was  suggested  by  the 
Christian  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  To  me  this 
seems  very  unlikely.  Early  in  the  Christian 
era  a  branch  of  the  Christian  Church  undoubt- 
edly found  some  lodgment  in  India.  At  least 
in  the  sixth  century,  a.d.,  there  was  a  Christian 
Church  in  Malabar,  on  the  southwestern  coast  of 
India.     But  it  has  had  little  eff*ect  on  Hindu 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    81 

tKought  and  life.  Two  hundred  years  ago  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  sent  missionaries  into 
India,  who  have  secured  many  followers,  and 
about  a  century  ago  Christian  Protestants  began 
to  send  missionaries  there.  The  numerical  re- 
sult of  these  two  missionary  efforts  is  a  Christian 
community  of  about  three  milhon  people.  But 
it  is  freely  admitted  by  many  of  the  most  intel- 
ligent reformers  and  thinkers  of  India  that  the 
Christian  thought  which  has  recently  come  to 
India  has  powerfully  affected  many  religious 
movements  which  do  not  take  the  Christian  name. 
The  most  important,  though  not  the  most  nu- 
merous, of  these  reform  movements,  which 
though  not  calling  itself  Christian  is  very  con- 
siderably Christian  in  thought  and  spirit,  is  the 
Brahma  Sama j ,  or  theistic  church  of  India.  By 
the  express  admission  of  its  leaders  God  inspired 
this  important  reforming  and  spiritual  move- 
ment largely  through  the  teachings  and  life  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  history  of  this  Brahma 
Samaj  is  so  well  known  that  it  needs  little  en- 
largement from  me.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century  Rammohun  Roy  became  an 
ardent  student  of  all  the  religions  of  the  world. 


82     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

In  1820  he  wrote  a  book  called  the  "  Precepts 
of  Jesus,"  and  organized  a  distinct  theistic 
movement  which  accepted  a  modified  pantheism, 
which  gave  great  value  to  the  spiritual  teachings 
of  all  religions,  and  which  modified  caste.  Then 
that  happened  to  this  movement  which  happens 
to  all  reforms,  viz.,  conflict  between  the  con- 
servative and  progressive  elements.  The  pro- 
gressive element  wished  to  give  greater  prom- 
inence to  Jesus  Christ  and  still  more  to  modify 
caste,  while  the  conservatives  held  back.  This 
caused  a  split.  The  conservative  element  re- 
tained the  name  of  the  Adi  Samaj,  i,  ^.,  the 
original  church,  and  the  progressives  were 
known  as  the  Brahma  Samaj.  Again  conflict 
arose  between  the  conservative  and  the  progres- 
sive elements.  Then  the  progressives,  under  the 
greatest  of  modem  religious  reformers  in  India, 
Keshab  Chundar  Sen,  went  out  to  form  a  new 
theistic  body  which  took  the  name  of  the  "  New 
Dispensation,"  while  the  conservatives  retained 
the  name  of  "  Sadharan  Brahma  Samaj,"  or 
"  middle  church."  Again,  at  the  death  of 
Keshab  Chundar  Sen  a  new  split  arose  in  the 
New  Dispensation,  the  progressive  element  being 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    83 

led  by  Keshab's  great  lieutenant,  Pratap  Chun- 
dar  Moozumdar.  In  western  India  a  corre- 
sponding theistic  movement,  which  refuses  to 
ally  itself  with  the  Brahma  Samaj  of  Bengal,  is 
called  the  Prarthana  Samaj,  i.  e.,  "the  prayer 
church."  On  the  whole,  the  Brahma  Samaj  and 
the  Prarthana  Samaj  are  very  similar  to  the 
Unitarian  Church  of  the  West.  In  the  Panjab 
another  reforming  movement  is  called  the  Arya 
Samaj.  It  has  come  less  under  the  influence 
of  Christianity  and  harks  back  more  to  the  purer 
early  phases  of  Hinduism.  But  undoubtedly  it 
is  Christianity  which  has  made  the  Arya  Samaj 
come  into  existence  and  which  has  powerfully 
influenced  it.  New  religious  sects  largely  in- 
fluenced by  Christianity  are  springing  up  all 
over  the  country.  One  Hindu  thinker  in  Ceylon 
has  written  commentaries  on  the  Gospels  of  St. 
Matthew  and  St.  John,  and  it  is  a  common 
admission  by  Hindu  thinkers  and  in  Hindu 
newspapers  that  India  reverences  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Some  frankly  call  Him  easily  the 
gi^eatest  of  spiritual  gurus ;  others  call  Him  one 
of  the  greatest  spiritual  gurus  of  the  world. 
Keshab  Chundar  Sen  said,  "  It  is  Christ  who 


84i    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

rules  British  India,  not  the  British  government. 
•  .  .  None  but  Christ;  none  but  Christ; 
none  but  Christ  hath  deserved  this  bright,  this 
precious  diadem,  India,  and  Jesus  shall  have  it." 
The  value  of  such  a  survey  of  the  historic 
development  of  religion  in  India  ought  to  be 
manifold.  It  ought  to  make  God  seem  very  great, 
very  near,  and  very  active  in  the  minds  and 
lives  of  all  men,  as  the  modern  Christian  view 
requires  us  to  believe.  This  survey  also  shows 
how  great  is  the  downward  pull  of  the  lower 
elements  of  human  nature.  Yet  it  shows  that, 
however  low  people  may  go,  God  does  not  cease 
His  efforts  to  draw  them  upward  to  Himself. 
It  shows  the  awful  fate  which  pantheism  brings 
upon  the  intellectual  and  moral  life  of  a  people 
by  weakening  or  denying  all  moral  distinctions. 
Pantheism  weakens  both  the  mental  and  ethical 
powers  of  men.  By  its  doctrine  of  illusion  it 
creates  lack  of  confidence  in  the  reliability  of 
all  phenomena  and  mental  conclusions.  This 
survey  also  shows  how  polytheism  always  follows 
pantheism,  how  polytheism  deadens  the  spirit, 
and  how  ritualism  does  the  same.  It  shows  the 
nemesis  which  follows  Vedantic  pantheism  when 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    85 

Ideas  are  substituted  for  ideals.  Modern  popu- 
lar Hinduism  also  shows  how  dangerous  it  is 
when  emotion  and  passion  rule  without  intel- 
lectual  restraint  and  easily  run  into  immorality. 
In  the  case  of  all  reformers  and  especially  in  the 
case  of  the  great  Buddha  there  is  an  illustration 
of  the  importance  of  the  personal  element  in  a 
religious  leader,  when  example  is  joined  to,  and 
illustrates  high  teaching.  There  is  also  illus- 
tration of  the  entire  inadequacy  of  ethical  teach- 
ing to  retain  ethical  purity  apart  from  con- 
sistent recognition  of  God.  The  survey  shows 
how  comparatively  little  is  the  permanent  influ- 
ence of  the  thinker  or  the  sage  who  lives  for  him- 
self and  for  thought  apart  from  the  world.  It 
shows  how  easily  the  common  people  fall  into 
credulity  and  superstition  and  formality.  A 
right  understanding  of  this  survey  shows  that 
despite  God's  patient  teaching  "  by  divers  por- 
tions, in  divers  manners,"  certainly  India  has  not 
yet  come  into  a  sense  of  filial  relation  to  God 
and  of  the  brotherhood  of  men.  This  one  sim- 
ple, undeniable,  historical  fact  is  enough  of  itself 
to  show  that  India  needs,  and  must  have,  the 
help  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  order  to  grow 


86    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

into  that  consciousness  of  filial  relation  to  God 
and  of  brotherly  relations  to  men  which  is  the 
supreme  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
supreme  achievement  to  which  He  inspires  men. 
The  survey  shows  that  despite  contracted  views 
of  God  and  of  the  Christian  religion,  it  is  only 
Christianity  which  has  gone  to  India  in  a  frater- 
nal spirit  of  self-sacrifice  to  help  men  there. 
The  survey,  rightly  understood,  shows  that, 
since  God  has  long  been  doing  a  preparatory 
work,  it  is  now  a  priori  reasonable  to  recognize 
that  the  "fullness  of  time  "  has  come  for  India, 
when  God  will,  through  Jesus  Christ,  give  that 
land  the  same  spiritual  vision  and  power  which 
He  has  given  to  western  people.  It  shows  that 
Christ  is  now  powerfully  influencing  the  reli- 
gious thought  of  India.  The  survey  also  shows, 
what  has  not  always  been  recognized,  that  it  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  Indians  will  wholly  cut 
loose  from  their  old  national  ways  of  thinking, 
even  when  they  become  Christians.  They  will 
have  the  characteristic  Indian  way  of  Christian 
thought  and  life.  Just  as  in  apostolic  times  the 
Jews  who  became  Christians  had  still  their  Jew- 
ish type  of  Christianity,  and  the  Greeks  who  be- 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    HINDUISM    87 

came  Christians  developed  a  characteristic  tj^pe 
of  Christianity,  and  the  Romans  who  became 
Christians  developed  a  Roman  type  of  Christian- 
ity, so  Indian  Christians  will  develop  an  Indian 
type  of  Christianity  under  the  influence  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  very  important  for  the 
Christian  missionary  to  recognize  this  teaching 
of  history,  so  that  while  he  makes  Jesus  Christ 
known  to  India,  like  John  the  Baptist  he  may 
himself  decrease  and  Jesus  Christ  increase  in 
making  Indian  Christians  of  an  Indian  type. 
But  this  view  of  God's  way  of  doing  things 
makes  it  none  the  less,  but  more,  the  duty  and  the 
privilege  of  Christians  in  Christian  lands  from 
a  sense  of  brotherhood  to  do  all  that  they  can 
promptly  to  give  to  India,  in  the  best  way,  that 
knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  which  is  the  supreme 
blessing  which  God  the  Father  of  all  men  has 
given  to  Christendom,  and  has  in  reserve  for  all  - 
His  children. 


Ill 

MISSIONS  AND  PSYCHOLOGY 

IN  the  early  years  of  foreign  missionary 
effort  a  common,  tlioupjh  unreal,  picture 
represented  the  missi(mary  as  wearinp^  a 
tall  hat  and  a  dress  coat,  stuiidln^j^  under  a  ])alin 
tree,  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  and  talkinpr  to  a 
company  of  half-dad  s/ivafros  crouchinpf  around 
and  gazinpj  at  him  in  wonder.  Ucfore  he  went 
abroad  the  advice  sometimes  given  to  him  as 
sound  was,  "  Beware  of  the  man  of  one  book," 
meaning  that  a  man  who  could  easily  quote  the 
Bible  from  any  ])lace  between  ils  covers  was  the 
man  who  was  thereby  mighty  in  saving  souls. 
The  Bible  without  note  or  comment  was  thought 
to  be  the  very  best  thing  to  place  in  the  hands 
of  anyone  whom  it  was  sought  to  lead  to  Christ. 
Things  are  different  now.  It  is  admitted  to 
be  of  great  importance  that  a  wise  missionary 
ought  to  know  with  some  degree  of  fullness  and 
accuracy  the  history  of  the  development  of  re- 
ligion among  the  peoj)le  to  whom  he  goes  with 

8H 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY        89 

the  Christian  message.     It  is  adinllli-d  as  cciually 
important  tlial  he  should  liavc  soiric  c/irrriil  aiul 
exact  insl^lit  Inio   I  he  mind  and  characteristics 
of   that   j)e()j)le,   and   the   ways    in    which    their 
minds   work.      If   knowlcd^^^c.   of  tlic  hist  (Try   of 
every  underlaklnrr  is  important  for  tlie  \vm\vr  in 
spiritual    work    in    America,    even    more    so    ih 
knowledf^e  of  that   hrancli   of  history   whlcli   is 
termed  Psyclioh)/:ry :  i.  c.y  kriowlcdn-c  of  the  wuy 
in  which  the  minds  of  men  have  worked  and  now 
work.     Therefore,  psych()h)gy  is  coming  to  be 
considered  necessary  for  wise  work  by  any  man 
among  men  in  America.     It  Is  essential  in  peda- 
gogy.    It    is    important    for   parenbi    In    order 
adequately  to  meet  their  responHibillt^es.     It  Is 
important  for  every  minister  to  fit  hln\  to  meet 
Ills    res|)onsihiHtles.      James'    suggestive    book, 
"  Varieties  of  Religious  Inexperience,"  well  points 
out   how   varied   are   the   workings   of   different 
types  of  mind  even  In  America.      If  ])sychoh)gy 
is  important  to  any  niaii  for  work  among  men  of 
Ills  own  race,  how  nuich  more  Important  that  he 
should  understand  the  ways  in  which  the  minds 
of  those  of  other  races  work,  whose  heredity  and 
environment  are  different.    Therefore,  an  under- 


90     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

standing  of  general  and  universal  psychological 
principles  and  particular  psychological  study  of 
the  peoples  among  whom  the  missionary  works 
are  of  very  great  importance  to  every  wise  and 
strong  teacher  of  Christianity  in  other  lands. 
While  this  statement  would  a  priori  be  accepted 
as  presumptively  true,  experience  confirms  the 
statement.  It  is  an  everyday  matter  for  people 
in  India  to  say  that  foreign  missionaries  do  not 
thoroughly  understand  them.  Of  course  there 
is  some  real  ground  for  such  a  statement.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  easy  to  over-state  such  a 
point.  In  some  circles  in  the  West  it  is  almost 
a  fad  to  claim  that  the  differences  between  the 
Oriental  and  Occidental  mind  are  so  deep  and 
numerous  that  it  is  almost  hopeless  for  a  man 
from  the  West  really  to  understand  the  man 
from  the  East.  Vice  versa,  it  is  as  important  to 
appreciate  that  human  nature  is  essentially  one 
in  all  the  world,  and  that  the  human  mind  works 
on  similar  lines  in  every  land  and  race,  as  to 
appreciate  that  there  are  differences  in  the  work- 
ing of  minds  of  different  races.  The  two  foci 
of  psychological  truth  are,  first,  that  there  are 
certain  universal  psychological  laws;  and,  sec- 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY       91 

ond,  that  there  are  diversities  of  mental  charac- 
teristics in  different  races  and  in  different  indi- 
viduals. The  activities  of  the  human  mind  are 
"  diverse  as  the  billows,  yet  one  as  the  sea." 
Those  who  would  over-emphasize  the  differences 
in  the  working  of  the  Oriental  and  Occidental 
mind  like  to  quote  the  lines  of  Kipling, 

"O!  the  East  is  East,  and  the  West  is  West; 
And  never  the  twain  shall  meet." 

But  they  do  not  at  the  same  time  continue  to 
quote  the  whole  stanza,  which  is, 

"0!  the  East  is  East,  and  the  West  is  West; 
And  never  the  twain  shall  meet. 
Till  earth  and  sky  stand  presently 
Before  God's  judgment  seat. 
But  there  is  neither  East  nor  West, 
Nor  border,  nor  breed,  nor  birth. 
When  two  strong  men  stand  face  to  face. 
Though  they  come  from  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

However  like  or  unlike  to  ours  the  mental  ways 
of  men  in  other  lands  may  be,  it  is  unquestion- 
ably desirable  for  the  foreign  missionary  to 
seek  to  know  well  the  mental  constitution  of  those 
with  whom  and  for  whom  he  works.     The  very 


92     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

effort  to  understand  them  will  promote  insight, 
sympathy,  respect,  and  adaptation.  And  the 
greater  the  understanding  and  adaptation,  the 
more  will  be  the  sympathy  and  respect.  In 
other  words,  just  as  it  is  important  and  helpful 
to  know  the  general  religious  condition  of  the 
country  through  knowing  the  historical  develop- 
ment of  its  religion,  so  it  is  important  and  help- 
ful to  know  the  religious  condition  of  individuals 
in  that  country  by  understanding  the  working 
of  the  minds  of  men  of  that  type.  Accordingly 
it  is  a  legitimate  compliment  to  missionaries  of 
the  past  that,  though  psychology  was  a  subject 
unknown  in  the  curriculum  of  school,  college,  and 
theological  seminary  in  their  time,  yet  through 
genuine  sympathy  with  the  peoples  among  whom 
they  worked  and  through  high  intelligence  they 
had  a  fair  understanding  of  the  mental  charac- 
teristics of  those  peoples.  Travelers  and  scien- 
tists have  often  recorded  their  obligations  to 
missionaries  for  helpful  and  accurate  descrip- 
tions of  the  peoples  among  whom  they  had 
worked. 

One  of  the  benefits  of  psychological  study  to 
the  missionary  will  be  that  he  will  not  expect 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY       93 

people  in  other  lands  to  appreciate  points  which 
they  are  not  accustomed  to  notice  or  value.  Thus 
he  will  save  them  and  himself  much  annoyance 
and  disappointment.  The  teacher  of  Christian- 
ity has  often  perplexed  men  by  raising  points 
which  are  of  no  importance  to  them.  In  his 
"  Varieties  of  Religious  Experience "  James 
makes  a  useful  suggestion  in  pointing  out  that 
any  theologian  who  spends  needless  time  in 
describing  attributes  of  God  which  have  no 
definite  connection  with  life,  are  not  only  under- 
taking what  is  needless,  but  are  confusing  and 
troublesome.  He  says  for  example,  "  God's 
personality  apart  from  the  moral  qualities  which 
it  may  comfort;  his  relations  to  evil  being  per- 
missive and  not  positive;  his  self-sufficiency; 
self-love  and  absolute  felicity  in  himself:  can- 
didly speaking,  how  do  such  qualities  as  these 
make  any  connection  with  our  life.?  And  if 
they  severally  have  no  distinctive  adaptations 
of  our  conduct,  what  vital  difference  can  it  pos- 
sibly make  to  a  man's  religion  whether  they  be 
true  or  false.?  For  my  own  part,  although  I 
dislike  to  say  aught  that  may  grate  upon  tender 
associations,  I  must  frankly  confess  that  though 


94     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

these  attributes  were  faultlessly  deduced,  I  can- 
not conceive  of  its  being  of  the  smallest  conse- 
quence to  us  religiously  that  any  one  of  them 
should  be  true.  Pray,  what  specific  act  can  I  per- 
form in  order  to  adapt  myself  the  better  to  God's 
simplicity?  Or  how  does  it  assist  me  to  plan 
my  behavior,  to  know  that  his  happiness  is 
anyhow  absolutely  complete?  .  .  .  Surely 
the  systematic  theologians  are  the  closet-natural- 
ists of  the  diety.  .  .  .  What  is  their  deduc- 
tion of  metaphysical  attributes  but  a  shuffling 
and  matching  of  pedantic  dictionary  adjectives, 
aloof  from  morals,  aloof  from  human  needs, 
something  that  might  be  worked  out  from  the 
mere  word  '  God '  by  one  of  those  logical 
machines  of  wood  and  brass  which  recent  in- 
genuity has  contrived,  as  well  as  by  a  man  of 
flesh  and  blood."  When  theologians  in  America 
have  not  distinguished  essentials  from  non- 
essentials and  from  the  many  adjuncts  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  on  account  of  denomina- 
tional proclivities  and  jealousies  have  often 
raised  even  departures  from  essential  Christian- 
ity into  excessive  prominence,  it  would  be  nat- 
ural for  the  American  theologian  who  goes  to 


MISSIONS    AND   PSYCHOLOGY       95 

foreign  lands  to  make  the  same  mistake.  If  he 
did  not  appreciate  how  such  points  would  only 
perplex  the  minds  of  men  unused  to  such  logic, 
he  could  not  appreciate  how  misleading  such  a 
course  would  be.  For  example,  how  confusing 
and  even  grotesque  to  the  Hindu  or  Japanese 
must  be  the  giving  of  any  importance  to  the 
various  phases  of  Presbyterianism,  such  as  Pres- 
byterian, United  Presbyterian,  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian, Presbyterian  North,  Presbyterian 
South,  Free  Church  Presbyterian,  Established 
Church  Presbyterian,  "  Wee-Free "  Presby- 
terian, and  the  like.  And  if,  in  their  simplicity 
and  mental  weakness.  Christian  adherents  of 
missionaries  of  these  various  schools  of  Presby- 
terianism should  accept  these  distinctions  as  im- 
portant, how  injurious  to  the  simplicity  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus  would  be  the  effect  of  such  indi- 
gestible and  strange  teaching. 

When  I  speak  of  Psychology  and  Missions 
some  of  the  points  which  will  be  raised  may  not 
be  considered  by  experts  in  the  science  as  strictly 
psychological  at  all,  when  that  science  is  defined 
as  mainly  a  knowledge  of  the  contents  and  work- 
ing of  consciousness  as  such.     In  general  I  shall 


96     MISSIONS  Irom  the  MODERN  VIEW 

speak  of  some  of  the  mental  characteristics  of 
the  Indian  mind.  I  wish  it  to  be  distinctly 
understood  that  in  the  characterization  which  I 
make  I  am  speaking  only  in  general  terms.  I 
believe  the  following  statements  to  be  accurate 
in  general,  though  some  persons  who  are 
acquainted  with  India  might  make  somewhat 
different  characterizations  and  estimates  of  the 
Indian  mind  and  its  ways  of  working. 

The  first  remark  is  that  the  Oriental  mind  is 
in  many  respects  the  type  of  mind  of  children 
in  the  West:  less  logical  and  more  simple. 
Also  the  Indian  mind  is  what  it  has  come  to  be 
under  the  influence  of  race,  climate,  social  con- 
ditions, and  religious  teaching  and  practices. 
These  various  influences  have  acted  and  reacted, 
so  that  it  is  not  only  difficult,  but  impossible, 
wholly  to  distinguish  cause  from  effect.  Social 
conditions  have  varied  religion,  and  religion 
has  affected  social  conditions.  Climatic  influ- 
ences have  helped  to  make  the  working  of  the 
Hindu  mind  not  energetic,  but  languid.  The 
same  influences  have  made  it  easy  to  live  without 
making  practical  considerations  as  controlling 
as  in  colder  lands  and  less  bountiful  climates. 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY       97 

Many  hard  experiences  from  frequent  famines 
and  extreme  poverty,  and  from  being  conquered 
by  foreigners,  have  made  the  Hindu  patient,  as 
well  as  mild.  Pantheism,  with  its  injurious  doc- 
trine of  illusion,  denying  the  real  existence  of 
anything,  has  affected  Hindus  of  all  classes. 
It  has  weakened  confidence  in  the  reality  of 
mental  and  moral,  as  well  as  outward,  phe- 
nomena. In  my  opinion  it  is  probably  the 
Indian  type  of  pantheism  more  than  anything 
else  which  has  caused  those  characteristics  of  the 
Hindu  which  have  given  him  the  reputation  of 
not  being  truthful.  The  influence  of  the  doc- 
trine of  illusion  would  naturally  be  the  convic- 
tion that  there  is  no  need  of  accuracy  of 
statement,  or  justification  for  aiming  to  be 
accurate.  Another  reason  for  the  belief  that 
truthfulness  is  not  characteristic  of  the  Hindu 
is  more  complimentary  to  the  Hindu's  heart  than 
to  the  Hindu's  mind.  This  reason  is  that  the 
Hindu  is  so  courteous  and  so  anxious  to  avoid 
saying  things  which,  though  true,  would  be 
distasteful  to  the  hearer,  that  he  says  things 
which,  though  inaccurate,  will  please  his  hearers. 
In  other  words,  he  prizes  courtesy  more  than 


98     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

accuracy.  This  is  a  characteristic  very  objec- 
tionable to  the  westerner,  who  prizes  truth  and 
accuracy  more  than  anything  else.  But  popu- 
lar Hinduism,  as  well  as  pantheism,  has  had  an 
influence  in  weakening  the  Hindu's  respect  for 
truth.  The  later  Hindu  books  have  much  to 
say  about  casuistry,  and  the  circumstances  under 
which  lying  is  justifiable.  Moreover,  the  very 
large  use  of  figurative  language  largely  ac- 
counts for  what  seems  to  the  Occidental  a  very 
serious  and  grotesque  departure  from  truth. 
Whereas  such  language  is  not  understood  by  the 
people  using  it  as  meaning  all  that  the  words  on 
their  face  would  make  an  Occidental  suppose 
they  meant.  This  powerful  imagination  is 
both  a  weak  and  a  strong  point  in  the  Indian 
mind.  It  makes  the  Indian  less  fitted  to  cope 
with  all  phases  of  life.  It  makes  him  satisfied 
with  the  unreal.  On  the  other  hand,  who  does 
not  consider  a  strong  imagination  one  of  the 
most  precious  gifts  of  childhood. ^^  What  added 
joy  and  value  it  gives  to  slender  possessions! 
How  much  of  the  riches  of  literature  comes  from 
an  exuberant  imagination!  How  much  of  the 
satisfaction     of     parents,     and     especially     of 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY       99 

mothers,  comes  from  fond  imaginings  about  the 
future  of  their  children!  Imagination  is  the 
eye  of  faith  which  sees  the  invisible  and  which 
gives  substance  to  hope.  How  large  a  part  of 
Christian  thinking  and  poetry  depend  on  real- 
izing God  and  heaven  and  future  blessings 
through  the  imagination!  The  missionary  to 
India  needs  thoroughly  to  understand  and  to 
appreciate  how  imagination  is  the  most  charac- 
teristic feature  of  the  Indian  mind. 

Closely  allied  to  this  is  another  characteristic 
of  the  Hindu  mind,  in  which  it  differs  from  the 
type  of  the  adult  male  mind  in  the  West.  Men 
in  the  West  ask  for  logic  or  proofs.  The  Indian 
cares  little  for  logical  evidence.  What  he  wants 
is  the  conclusiveness  of  an  illustration  or  a  simile. 
Herein  lies  both  a  mental  weakness  and  a  mental 
strength.  It  is  a  weakness  because  it  is  easy  in 
India,  as  elsewhere,  to  give  an  illustration  more 
evidential  value  than  it  really  has.  Because  a 
thing  has  once  been  so-and-so,  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  it  will  be  so  again  in  the  same  depart- 
ment, much  less  that  it  will  be  so  in  another 
department.  But  to  the  Hindu  it  seems  entirely 
conclusive  to  say  that,  just  as  there  are  many 


100    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

TOads  leading  to  a  city,  so  there  are  many  roads 
which  lead  to  God.  Logically  this  by  no  means 
follows.  So  if  a  Hindu  knows  that  you  once 
gave  a  man  a  certain  present,  he  easily  thinks 
you  will  do  the  same  thing  for  him  at  any  time. 
Like  children,  they  cannot  see  that  circum- 
stances may  be  so  different  that  you  cannot,  or 
that  for  some  good  reason  you  should  not,  do 
the  same  thing  for  him  which  you  did  for  the 
other  man.  However,  such  valuation  of  an 
illustration  more  than  of  syllogistic  proof  gives 
useful  working  power  to  the  Hindu  mind,  which 
if  understood  and  rightly  used  may  be  very 
helpful  to  the  missionary  in  his  work.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  larger  part  of  mankind  is 
rightly  influenced  more  by  the  power  of  illus- 
tration than  by  a  logical  process  of  reasoning. 
How  much  of  logic  did  Jesus  Christ  use? 
Very,  very  little.  He  stated  the  truth  which  He 
knew,  and  which  He  wished  men  to  apprehend 
and  follow,  and  often  by  illustrations  of  some 
kind  enforced  His  teachings.  His  character- 
istic teaching  by  parables  is  essentially  teaching 
by  illustration  and  not  by  logic.  The  mission- 
ary from  the  West  mistakes  when  he  over-esti- 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY     101 

mates  the  necessity  or  Importance  of  logical 
proof  in  setting  forth  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
teachings.  For  years  after  I  became  a  mission- 
ary in  India  I  supposed  it  necessary  to  prove  the 
truth  of  Christianity.  Nowadays  I  do  not 
attempt  that.  I  only  seek  to  help  men  to  see 
Christ  as  He  was  and  spoke  and  is,  i.  c,  I  try 
to  exhibit  His  excellence,  His  betterness.  His 
way  of  life.  Experience  shows  this  to  be  the 
most  successful  and  satisfactory  way.  Even  in 
America  when  the  preacher  follows  Christ  as  his 
master  in  the  way  of  teaching  spiritual  truth,  as 
well  as  in  accepting  His  interpretation  of  spirit- 
ual things,  he  will  not  attempt  to  prove  things 
about  Christ  and  His  way.  He  will  set  Christ 
forth,  will  interpret  His  teachings  and  life  in 
the  vital  and  simple  language  of  the  times,  and 
to  such  a  message  he  will  get  a  more  satisfactory 
response.  Nor  do  I  try  to  prove  the  truth  of 
the  Bible  any  more  than  the  truth  of  my  mother, 
or  wife,  or  children.  I  show  the  excellence  of 
the  Bible.  That  is  not  only  enough;  it  is  the 
satisfactory  way  for  the  majority  of  people  in 
the  West  as  well  as  in  the  East.  In  contrast 
with  the  logical  methods  of  the  West  even  the 


102     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

logical  methods  of  the  Hindus  show  how  the 
latter  values  the  illustration  more  than  formal 
proofs.  The  syllogism  of  the  West  consists  of 
three  propositions:  the  major  premise,  the 
minor  premise,  and  the  conclusion.  The  syllo- 
gism of  the  Indian  consists  of  five  proposi- 
tions: (1)  the  statement,  or  proposition;  (2)' 
the  major  premise;  (3)  the  illustration;  (4)  the 
minor  premise;  and  (5)  the  conclusion.  The 
first,  that  is,  the  statement  or  proposition,  is 
simply  the  conclusion,  with  which  the  syllogism 
is  to  close;  yet  the  formal  stating  of  it  has  an 
illustrative  value  to  the  Indian.  In  fact,  a 
similar  procedure  is  not  very  uncommon  in  the 
West,  though  books  on  logic  say  that  the  syllo- 
gism consists  of  three,  and  only  three,  members. 
We  here  do  not  make  the  proposition  or  con- 
clusion the  first  step  of  our  syllogistic  process 
because  it  is  not  necessary,  and  the  practical 
West  takes  the  short  cut  to  things,  omitting 
needless  steps.  The  Hindu  syllogism  has  for 
its  third  member  the  illustration,  which,  as 
human  nature  goes,  is  really  the  conclusive 
element  in  most  arguments,  despite  the  fact  that 
often  the  illustration  may  not  be  wholly  perti- 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY     103 

nent  or  wholly  parallel  with  the  proposition 
which  it  seeks  to  establish.  Many  theologians 
in  the  West  now  definitely  say  that  it  is  both 
useless  and  impossible  to  try  to  prove  the  exist- 
ence of  God  because  we  practically  assume  Him 
before  we  try  to  deduce  His  existence  by  a  syllo- 
gistic process. 

An  allied  characteristic  of  the  Hindu  mind  is 
the  seemingly  illogical  way  in  which,  while  the 
doctrine  of  illusion  makes  real  existence  unreal, 
the  doctrine  of  faith  makes  unrealities  real.  A 
common  teaching  of  the  rehgious  books  of  India, 
and  one  of  the  commonest  assumptions  of  ordi- 
nary men  in  everyday  Hfe,  is  that  a  thing  truly 
is  what  one  thinks  it  to  be.  If  you  think  a  rope 
is  a  snake,  it  is  a  snake ;  if  you  think  brass  to  be 
gold,  it  is  gold;  if  you  think  an  idol  to  be  the 
living  and  omnipotent  God,  it  is  such.  This 
illustrates  what  has  been  said,  and  will  again  be 
said  in  succeeding  lectures,  that  the  weakness  of 
the  Hindu  mind  and  character  is  largely  a  lack 
of  all-around  and  sane  development,  a  lack  of 
proportion  or  balance.  The  East  is  weak  where 
the  West  is  strong.  And  in  passing,  that  may 
now  be  suggested  which  will  later  be  more  fully 


104     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

dwelt  upon,  viz.,  that  the  West  is  weak  where 
the  East  is  strong.  I  suppose  the  sounder  prin- 
ciple would  be  that,  though  a  man  must  tem- 
porarily act  on  his  immediate  perception  of 
things  and  for  the  present  assume  things  to  be 
what  they  appear,  he  should  not  continue  to 
assert  that  things  truly  are  only  what  they  seem 
to  be.  Yet  this  unbalanced  faith  is  almost  the 
principal  thing  by  which  the  Hindu  is  influenced 
in  his.  religion.  He  does  not  wish  to  test  his 
faith  and  by  testing  reassure  himself  that 
his  assumptions  are  true.  It  is  enough  that  his 
ancestors  and  he  have  always  believed  and  acted 
as  they  have.  Why  should  he  even  consider  the 
desirability  of  changing?  So,  if  God  is  every- 
thing and  everywhere,  as  his  sub-conscious  pan- 
theistic assumption  implies,  then  if  he  believes 
that  the  idol  is  God,  it  is  really  so.  In  other 
words,  while  the  Occidental  sometimes  over- 
emphasizes the  function  of  reason  as  essential 
in  normal  and  sane  mental  processes,  the  Hindu, 
abnormally  minimizes  it. 

Another  mental  characteristic  of  the  Hindu 
mind,  due  to  his  powerful  imagination,  is  that  he 
is  an  idealist.    He  considers  that  the  thing  that 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY     105 

ideally  ought  to  be  really  is.  The  working  of 
such  idealism  often  perplexes  Hindus  in  under- 
standing Occidentals,  and  leads  the  former  to 
charge  the  latter  with  untruthfulness.  E.  g.,  if 
a  Hindu  comes  to  you  and  asks  you  to  give  him 
employment,  you  may  reply,  "  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  I  have  no  vacancy  whatever."  "  But,  if 
a  vacancy  should  occur  at  some  time,  then 
would  you  give  it  to  me  ?  "  "  I  have  no  idea 
that  such  a  vacancy  is  likely  to  occur.  Then 
why  should  I  hold  out  any  hope  to  you? " 
"  Yes,  of  course,  no  vacancy  may  occur,  but  if 
one  should  occur,  then  would  you  not  remember 
me?  "  "  Well,  I  can  make  no  definite  promise 
whatever,  but  if  a  vacancy  should  occur,  I 
should  probably  think  of  you,  and  if  you  then 
should  seem  the  best  man  for  the  place,  I  should 
offer  you  the  position."  The  man  goes  away 
and  soon  forgets  almost  all  that  you  have  said 
except  the  last  clause,  "  I  should  offer  you  the 
position."  Then  much  later  if  a  vacancy 
should  occur  and  you  should  not  appoint  the 
man  to  it,  he  would  charge  you  with  having 
broken  your  promise.  The  ideahst  does  not 
give  weight  to   conditions  which  stand  in  the 


106     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

way  of  what  he  desires.  Those  are  like  the 
small  dust  in  the  balance.  What  he  remembers 
and  expects  from  you  is  the  fulfillment  of  his 
ideals.  Why  should  he  not  expect  from  a  great 
and  good  man  like  you  whatever  he  wishes.'' 
One  of  the  first  and  most  important  lessons  for 
a  missionary  to  India  to  bear  in  mind  is  to  make 
no  conditional  promises  whatever.  His  hearer 
will  rarely  remember  or  value  the  force  of  con- 
ditions in  a  promise.  And  if  a  promise,  apart 
from  its  conditions,  is  not  kept,  the  maker  will 
probably  be  thought  to  have  broken  his 
promise. 

Pantheism  has  dangerously  weakened  the 
moraL  as  well  as  the  mental  working  of  the  ~J 
Hindu  mind.  Pantheism,  and  its  accompany- 
ing doctrine  of  illusion  which  does  away  with 
the  reality  of  intellectual  distinctions,  also 
logically  and  naturally  does  away  with  the 
reality  of  moral  distinctions.  The  Hindu  has 
a  conscience  because  God  speaks  to  his  sense  of 
right  and  wrong.  But  that  conscience  is 
weakened  by  unreal  assumptions  about  God  and 
reality.  The  Hindu  does  not  consider  that  to 
be  wrong    which  trained  ethical  sense  considers 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY     107 

wrong.  But  assuming  the  unreality  of  moral 
and  mental  action  injures  both  conscience  and 
mind.  Also  caste,  which  is  the  principal  thing 
in  modern  Hinduism,  has  still  more  weakened 
the  conscience.  For  right  is  not  what  is  con- 
sistent with  the  nature  of  God  or  the  universal 
ethical  standard,  and  wrong  is  not  what  is  incon- 
sistent with  the  same.  They  are  what  cus- 
tom and  religion  state  them  to  be:  they  are 
inconsistency  with  arbitrary  caste  rules. 
Therefore  not  lying,  nor  breaking  the  seventh 
commandment,  nor  stealing  is  so  heinous 
according  to  the  code  of  caste  as  drinking  a 
cup  of  water  from  the  hand  of  a  low-caste  man, 
however  clean  that  hand  may  be. 

Another  mental  law  which  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary to  India  at  first  is  almost  sure  not  to 
bear  in  mind,  and  which  even  the  experienced 
missionary  frequently  disregards,  is  that  words 
and  ideas  which  have  one  meaning  in  the  West, 
often  have  a  very  different  meaning  in  India. 
God,  sin,  salvation,  holiness  in  the  Upanishads 
and  in  the  code  of  caste  really  have  a  very 
different  signification  from  the  signification  of 
those    same    words    in    Christian    lands.     It    is 


108     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

sometimes  said  to  a  new  missionary  that  he 
should  not  be  surprised  if  the  people  of  the 
country  do  not  understand  their  own  language. 
The  suggestion  implies  the  need  of  caution  lest 
he  use  words  which  to  his  hearers  will  have  a 
very  different  significance  from  that  which 
those  words  have  in  his  own  mind.  And  he  fre- 
quently makes  serious  mistakes  in  idiom,  which 
result  in  his  giving  a  very  different  meaning  to 
his  hearers  from  that  which  he  intended.  How- 
ever, words  in  every  language  are  constantly 
changing  their  meaning,  and  so  after  long  con- 
tact with  Christian  teaching  such  words  as  God, 
sin,  salvation,  repentance,  holiness  are  acquir- 
ing in  the  Indian  vernaculars  a  new  and 
Christian  significance. 

Another  characteristic  of  the  Hindu  seems 
an  anomaly,  but  is  one  which  can  be  accounted 
for.  Caste  is  probably  the  most  ironclad  insti- 
tution that  ever  repressed  the  freedom  of  men's 
actions,  and  to  some  extent  also  their  freedom 
of  thinking.  Yet  it  is  often  truthfully  said 
that  the  Hindu  mind  is  remarkably  hospitable 
to  new  ways  of  thinking.  The  Hindu  readily 
incorporated  a  considerable  part  of  Buddhism 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY     109 

into  his  own  religion.  The  Hindu  mind  freely 
holds  both  pantheism  and  polytheism  to  be  true. 
The  Hindu  is  quite  ready  to  admit  Christ  to 
his  pantheon  and  to  give  Him  almost  the  highest 
place,  but  without  giving  up  any  of  his  own 
inherited  positions  which  are  inconsistent  with 
Christianity.  The  Hindu  who  has  not  come 
under  the  spell  of  the  Western  Zeitgeist  has  no 
hesitation  in  accepting  every  word  of  the  Bible 
and  every  miracle  recorded  in  it  as  true,  and 
also  the  traditions  and  medieval  miracles  of  the 
Roman  Church,  without  at  all  giving  up  his 
own  Hindu  ideas.  How  does  this  come  about? 
I  think  the  explanation  is  twofold.  It  was  said 
of  the  Germans  long  ago,  that  since  France  had 
dominion  of  the  land  through  her  armies,  and 
Great  Britain  had  dominion  of  the  sea  by  her 
naval  power,  there  was  nothing  left  for  Ger- 
many but  the  air,  and  so  she  sought  dominion 
in  thinking  and  philosophy.  So  when  ritual 
and  caste  dominated  with  heavy  hand  the  out- 
ward life  of  the  Hindu,  he  sought  and  secured 
at  least  some  measure  of  liberty,  and  took  it  in 
thought.  For  caste  and  the  ritual  of  popular 
Hinduism    do    not    care    what    the    individual 


110     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

thinks  or  says,  if  only  he  does  not  openly  dis- 
regard caste  regulations.  The  recent  contact 
with  Western  civilization  is  rapidly  and  power- 
fully weakening  the  ideas  and  practices  of 
caste,  so  that  now  in  many  places  Hindu 
religious  leaders  think  it  impolitic  and  useless 
to  punish  even  open  violation  of  caste.  But 
probably  even  before  this  modern  period  dis- 
regard of  caste  was  not  punished,  if  this  was 
not  openly  flaunted  before  the  public.  The 
genius  of  Hinduism  would  not  express  itself  in 
a  formative  principle  like  that  word  of  Chris- 
tianity which  says,  "  As  a  man  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he."  As  a  man  acteth  outwardly 
so  is  he,  is  the  standard  of  caste.  A  second 
explanation  of  the  omnivorousness  of  the  Hindu 
mind  is  that  pantheism  has  led  Hindus  to  dis- 
allow or  minimize  distinctions.  Therefore  Hindus 
are  ready  to  accept  almost  anything  as  true, 
and  are  not  impressed  by  the  logical  consider- 
ation that  both  of  two  mutually  contradictory 
positions  cannot  be  true  and  helpful. 

Understanding  such  characteristics  of  the 
Indian  mind  will  explan  why  Hindus,  when  they 
become  Christians,  do  not  and  cannot  have  the 


MISSIONS    AND   PSYCHOLOGY     111 

religious  experience  which  people  had  in  New; 
England  a  generation  ago  when  men  were 
deeply  agitated  for  personal  sin  and  expressed 
repentance  in  pungent  language  and  in  prompt 
and  expressive  acts.  When  Hindus  become 
Christians  it  is  rarely  from  a  strong  sense  of  sin 
and  of  need  of  forgiveness.  They  have  not 
inherited  or  developed  sensitive  consciences 
which  call  for  relief  from  ethical  wrongdoing. 
They  become  Christians  principally  because  by 
the  teachings  and  example  of  Christian  leaders 
they  are  satisfied  that  the  Christian  way  of 
living  is  the  better  way  for  time,  and  are 
assured  that  it  is  better  also  for  the  unknown 
future.  They  are  drawn  to  become  disciples  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  His  character  and 
teachings ;  i.  e.,  they  feel  bhakti  or  trustful  love 
for  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  drawn  toward  Him, 
and  therefore  become  His  disciples.  Accord- 
ing to  the  direction  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself  it 
is  not  until  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  of  the  things 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  applies  these  to  the  Indian 
adherents  of  Christ  that  He  convicts  them  of 
sin  for  ethical  shortcomings.  This  being  so, 
the  missionary  should  not  wonder  that  marked 


lis     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

repentance  is  not  at  first  strong  among  Indian 
Christians.  Such  manifestations  are  not  to  be 
soon  expected  from  that  type  of  mind  which 
the  Hindu  has  inherited  from  generations  of 
ancestors,  and  from  social  conditions  which 
caste  and  polytheism  have  developed.  These 
considerations  also  show  how  Hindus  are  likely 
to  move  in  masses  more  than  as  individuals. 
Mass  movements  are  likely  to  sweep  consider- 
able communities  at  a  time  into  the  Christian 
fold. 

The  case  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  and 
eminent  converts  to  Christianity  in  Western 
India  illustrates  how  one  type  of  the  Hindu 
mind  works.  Like  the  early  Hindu  reformers 
he  had  become  impressed  with  the  social  evils  of 
his  land.  He  saw  that  caste  was  splitting  up 
the  community  into  selfish  and  injurious  rela- 
tions, and  he  knew  that  India  can  never  rise  so 
long  as  it  remains  in  the  baneful  bondage  of 
caste.  Also  he  knew  that  nothing  but  a  religion 
would  put  away  caste.  So  without  any  knowl- 
edge of  Christianity,  but  no  doubt  under  the 
inspiration  of  God,  he  began  to  study  what 
religion   India   should  have   in  place   of  Hin- 


MISSIONS   AND    PSYCHOLOGY     118 

'duism.  At  first,  he  naturally  thought  of 
Mohammedanism,  about  which  every  Hindu 
knows  something.  And  he  reasonably  thought 
that  Mohammedanism  has  some  greater  and 
more  powerful  truths  than  Hinduism  in  its 
emphasis  on  the  truth  of  one  personal  and 
righteous  God,  in  its  doctrine  of  the  harmful- 
ness  of  idolatry  and  the  need  of  spiritual 
worship,  and  especially  in  its  theoretical  teach- 
ing about  the  error  of  caste  pride,  and  to  some 
extent  in  its  practical  influence  in  abolishing 
caste  distinctions.  But  as  he  thought  still  more 
he  became  convinced  that  Mohammedanism  was 
not  the  religion  which  India  needs,  because  it 
largely  depends  upon  compulsion  and  not  on 
reasonableness  in  enforcing  its  authority.  So 
he  began  to  think  of  developing  an  eclectic 
religion  in  which  the  best  characteristics  of 
various  religions  might  be  combined.  This  way 
of  thinking  is  very  much  in  accordance  with  the 
Hindu  mind.  While  in  this  state  of  search,  this 
man  met  a  European  in  a  railway  train  and 
talked  with  him  about  his  intention.  The  Euro- 
pean asked  him  if  he  had  ever  read  the  Bible  or 
knew  about  Jesus  Christ.    The  man  said  "  No," 


114     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

but  promised  to  read  the  Bible  and  find  out 
about  Christianity.  Accordingly  the  European 
then  and  there  gave  him  a  New  Testament; 
and  largely  without  the  personal  influence  of 
Christian  teachers  that  capable  and  enterpris- 
ing Hindu  gentleman  was  so  attracted  by  the 
Jesus  Christ  who  is  delineated  in  the  Gospels, 
and  so  delighted  with  His  way  of  leading  men 
into  spiritual  life  by  spiritual  means,  that  he 
soon  became  a  Christian.  He  became  a  Chris- 
tian, not  from  a  personal  sense  of  sin,  but 
because  he  believed  that  Jesus  Christ  could  help 
his  country  and  save  it  from  its  injurious  social 
condition. 

Another  instance  will  also  show  how  the 
Hindu  mind  works.  On  one  occasion  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Bombay  Missionary  Conference  I 
told  how  I  was  accustomed  to  preach  Christ  to 
Hindus.  At  the  close  of  my  remarks  a  Parsi 
convert,  who  has  become  an  earnest  Christian 
preacher,  asked  if  I  was  accustomed,  when 
preaching,  to  tell  people  that  they  were  born 
in  trespasses  and  sins.  I  replied,  "  Never."  He 
said,  "  Is  that  taught  in  the  Bible,  and  do  you 
believe  it  ?  "     I  replied,  "  Yes,  it  is  taught  in 


MISSIONS    AND    PSYCHOLOGY     115 

the  Bible,  and  I  believe  it."  "  Why  do  you  not 
then  preach  it?  "  I  said,  "  Because  that  Is  not 
part  of  the  good  message  which  I  have  to  give 
to  men.  It  is  hard  enough  to  make  men  realize 
that  they  are  now  in  trespasses  and  sins  for 
which  they  themselves  are  responsible,  and  to 
make  them  come  to  Christ  in  order  to  get  away 
from  trespasses  and,  sins.  If  I  should  say  that 
they  were  born  In  trespasses  and  sins,  they 
would  probably  lay  it  on  to  their  parents,  and 
the  more  excuse  themselves  from  responsibility." 
This  led  another  missionary  to  say  that  a  short 
time  before  Dr.  Wilson,  one  of  the  most  eminent 
Scotch  missionaries  in  Bombay,  had  told  him 
that  when  speaking  to  a  Hindu  about  the  bur- 
den of  sin,  that  Hindu  had  told  him  that  he 
himself  seriously  felt  the  burden  of  his  own  sins. 
It  is  so  rare  for  a  missionary  to  have  any  Hindu 
speak  of  being  burdened  for  a  sin  of  his  own 
that  Dr.  Wilson  asked  the  man  with  interest  If 
he  would  tell  him  what  those  sins  were  of  which 
he  so  felt  the  burden.  The  man  instantly 
replied  that  they  were  his  wife  and  mother-in- 
law.  He  felt  as  people  in  America  very  com- 
monly feel,  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  sin 


116     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

which  was  causing  him  much  trouble,  but  it  was 
the  troublesome  doings  of  others,  not  of  him- 
self, which  were  a  burden  to  him.  Principally 
it  was  the  word  "  burden  "  and  not  the  word 
"  sin  "  in  Dr.  Wilson's  remark  which  stuck  in 
that  Hindu's  mind.  He  had  a  real  burden 
because  he  was  inconvenienced  by  things  which 
his  wife  and  mother-in-law  had  done.  So  when 
he  spoke  of  carrying  burdens  connected  with 
wrong-doing,  the  missionary  supposed  he  was 
making  a  confession  of  unease  due  to  his  own 
sin.  This  story  illustrates  a  common  experience 
of  Hindus.  They  are  often  ill  at  ease.  They  do 
feel  burdened  by  many  of  the  trying  expe- 
riences of  life  and  they  desire  relief  from  that 
unrest.  They  are  uneasy  because  they  are  not 
in  right  relations  to  God,  and  it  will  be 
because  Jesus  Christ  more  than  any  other 
religious  teacher  brings  into  the  Hindu 
mind  and  heart  and  conscience  that  revelation 
of  God  which  makes  the  Hindus  conscious  of 
God's  love  and  desire  to  help  men  that  they  will 
become  Christians  more  than  by  any  other 
influence. 

The  more  we  know  of  the  Hindu  mind,  the 


MISSIONS   AND    PSYCHOLOGY     117 

more  it  becomes  clear  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  One  who  is  fitted  to  satisfy  that  type  of 
mind.  He  satisfies  the  imagination  of  the 
Hindus.  His  teaching  has  that  universal 
character  which  is  in  accordance  with  the  hos- 
pitality of  thought  which  characterizes  the 
Hindu  mind.  He  gives  relief  from  the  bondage 
of  ritual  and  sacrifice  and  caste  from  which  the 
heart  and  mind  of  the  Hindu  has  long  sought 
release,  as  the  heart  of  man  everywhere  seeks 
relief.  There  is  much  criticism  of  Christendom 
in  India,  and  rightly  so,  for  how  much  of 
Christendom  is  not  Christian!  There  is  much 
hesitation  in  India  to  accept  what  is  naturally 
considered  Western  theology.  But  there  is  no 
criticism  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  meets 
and  satisfies  the  Hindu  intellect,  the  Hindu 
heart,  the  Hindu  life,  as  no  one  else.  And  He 
is  winning  India  to  Himself.  He  will  win  it 
wholly.  Keshab  Chundar  Sen  well  said,  "  It 
is  Christ  who  rules  British  India,  and  not  the 
British  government.  None  but  Christ,  none  but 
Christ,  none  but  Christ,  have  deserved  this 
bright,  this  precious  diadem,  and  Jesus  shall 
have  it." 


IV. 

MISSIONS  AND  SOCIOLOGY 

THE  individual  is  the  concrete  expression 
of  the  associated  life  of  man ;  and  society 
is  the  associated  life  of  individuals. 
Therefore  sociology  as  the  science  of  social  phe- 
nomena is  to-day,  like  ps3^chology,  a  study  of  ab- 
sorbing interest  and  vital  importance.  Religion 
being  preeminently  the  doctrine  and  practice 
of  men  in  relation  to  one  another  in  their  inter- 
pretation of  God,  sociology  is  a  science  of 
exceptional  value  to  the  religious  teacher  and 
leader.  The  history  of  religion  in  some  broad 
sense  is  almost  the  history  of  sociology.  What 
is  the  so-called  Mosaic  system  but  an  attempt 
to  regulate  the  relations  of  the  men  of  Israel 
under  a  sense  of  responsibility  to  God? 
Thoughtful  and  experienced  men  in  the  West 
now  value  the  historical  and  analytical  study  of 
social  phenomena  in  showing  how  many  past 
efforts  to  do  good  have  been  mistaken,  and  in 
pointing  out  the  path  to  meet  present  problems. 
118 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      119 

The  leaders  of  life  in  America  now  understand 
that  wise  charity  can  only  be  exercised  when 
administered  on  those  lines  which  sociology 
teaches  to  be  sensible.  It  is  weU  known  that 
charity  as  formerly  administered  cannot  cure 
one-tenth  of  the  evils  which  it  seeks  to  cure, 
while  it  often  creates  new  evils  in  its  well-meant, 
but  mistaken,  efforts  to  do  good. 

If  the  scientific  study  of  social  phenomena  is 
important  for  the  religious  leader  in  his  own 
land,  how  much  more  so  is  it  for  the  man  who, 
with  little  experience  of  work  among  his  own 
people,  goes  to  labor  in  a  foreign  land,  among 
men  of  different  climate,  diverse  race,  history, 
customs,  religion,  and  assumptions  !  This  would 
seem  almost  axiomatic.  Yet  it  has  not  been 
understood  by  missionary  societies  and  by  mis- 
sionaries as  it  should  have  been.  However,  this 
is  not  strange,  because  scientific  sociology  is  a 
comparatively  recent  study,  even  in  the  West. 
Nor  is  it  surprising  that  even  among  primitive 
peoples,  and  still  more  among  advanced  peoples 
like  the  Japanese,  Chinese,  and  Hindus,  it  is 
sometimes  said  of  some  missionaries,  "  Save  us 
from  our  friends."     It  is  likely  to  be  said  of 


!!;>()      MISSIONS  from   thr  INIODIORN  VIKW 

lliosc  mlssioiiMiirs  wlio  llmik  il  CMsy  n\u\  \''i}^}\\  l<) 
])r()|)()S('  niid  |)iisli  .s\\(<'|Miii_;-  clinii^j^cs  ol*  cuslom, 
vvillioiil  iiiKlcrshuuliii^  I  lie  1)Rh1s  of  lliosc  ciis- 
loms  in  llu'  li;^lil  of  llic  history  of  society  in 
I, hose  ImikIs.  \'(I  il  sjx'nks  imicli  for  \\\v  /^ood 
Ncnsi'  of  I  lie  >iv('i*n;_^'r  niissioiiMry  IIimI  lie  Iwis 
lisu/illy  Ik'cii  |>ni(l«'iil  mikI  I'm-  si'^lihd  in  llu» 
course  vvliicli  he  has  lollouMd  ui  seekin/^'  l.o 
modify  and  lo  mold  social  cuslonis  and  insli- 
iidions. 

Of*  n\\  coMidries  prohahly  Indi/i  is  Ihe  one 
which  has  Ihe  niosl  complex  social  phenomena: 
vvhei'e  individualism  is  Ihe  leasl  (levelo|>ed:  \vhei(! 
cuslom  is  mosi,  sujjicme.  So  Ihal  hefore  all 
olhei's  Ihe  missionary  lo  India  should  he  one  who 
has  Hludi(<l  nol.  oidy  Ihe  hislory  of  sociel^  in  \\\h 
own  huid,  l)ul  in  oilier  lands,  and  who  ^och  to 
India,  anxious  and  ready  lo  leain  many  l.hin^H 
hefore  Iryin;^'  lo  leach  ail  Ihin^rs.  Almosl.  I  ho 
worsi  Ihin;^  which  could  hajjpen  lo  a.  youn;.^"  mis- 
Kion/iry  «^()in/4-  lo  /my  land  would  he  lo  have  llu* 
nhilily  lo  use  Ihe  Viiinicul/ir  inime<li/ilely  upon 
landing-.  Willi  Ihe  hesl  of  inlenlions  he  would 
make  many  needless  mislakes.  There  /iro 
"  Train  ill* '•  I  Ionics  for  Missionaries"  in  America 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      121 

which  think  they  are  doing  missionary  candi- 
dates good  service  by  teaching  them  in  this 
country  the  vernaculars  of  India.  This  is 
almost  sure  to  lead  those  candidates  to  form 
some  bad  mistakes  in  pronunciation  and  in  idiom 
in  the  use  of  the  languages  so  acquired.  It  also 
prevents  the  young  missionary  from  going 
through  that  most  important  preliminary  expe- 
rience of  getting  gradually  accustomed  to  the 
ideas  and  ways  of  the  people  before  he  ought  to 
attempt  much  in  teaching  them.  The  chances 
are  that  missionaries  from  such  training  homes 
will  begin  and  will  long  continue  their  work  on 
the  assumption  that  what  they  ought  to  do  is 
to  teach  those  people  the  imitation  of  Western 
ideas  and  customs.  One  of  the  chief  temptations 
of  the  dogmatic  type  of  young  missionary  is  to 
marvel  at  the  ways  of  experienced  workers  and 
to  count  them  old  fogies  and  behind  the  times. 
Fortunately  most  young  missionaries  are  not 
of  this  type. 

But  the  missionary — whether  recent  or  long 
in  the  land — is  sure  to  do  some  injury  to  himself 
and  to  his  work  and  to  the  people,  if  he  fails  to 
realize  the  fundamental  laws  which  have  always 


122     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

controlled  and  which  should  control  all  social 
and  religious  progress.  The  first  of  these  prin- 
ciples is  the  law  of  continuity.  Just  as  in  phy- 
sical life  the  present  is  the  outcome  of  the  past, 
so  in  psychical  life  the  present  is  the  product  of 
the  past.  He  who  would  rightly  judge  of  the 
present  must  bear  in  mind  this  law  of  continuity 
in  psychical  as  in  physical  life.  The  past  must 
be  and  will  be  modified.  But  what  is  wise  and 
what  is  unwise  in  each  case  must  depend  consider- 
ably on  what  the  past  calls  for.  Customs  and 
institutions  are  the  skeleton  of  the  social  organ- 
ism, and  just  as  the  skeleton  of  the  human  body 
must  and  should  considerably  determine  the 
plans  for  the  development  of  that  body,  so  the 
skeleton  of  the  past  psychical  body  must  and 
should  largely  determine  plans  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  future  psychical  body.  This  is 
simply  another  way  of  saying  that  heredity  as 
well  as  environment  determines  and  should  deter- 
mine the  constitution  of  the  social  organism,  as 
it  does  the  constitution  of  the  physical  organism. 
Therefore,  it  is  important  both  to  understand 
the  heredity  of  the  social  constitution,  and  to 
bear  it  in  mind  when  considering  a  new  social 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      123 

environment  for  the  future  best  development  of 
any  form  of  society. 

This  implies — what  in  missionary  activity  has 
not  always  been  sufficiently  understood,  nor  fol- 
lowed— ^that  so  much  of  good  as  is  in  the  struc- 
ture or  in  the  possibilities  of  indigenous  society 
in  any  land  should  be  thoroughly  understood 
and  appreciated  and  utilized.  In  other  words 
the  missionary  should  follow  the  controlling 
principle  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  social  mat- 
ters as  well  as  in  what  are  called  purely  religious 
matters,  viz.,  the  missionary  should  try  to  fulfill, 
and  not  to  destroy.  What  did  Jesus  or  the  early 
apostles  direct  the  early  Christians  to  give  up  in 
their  social  organization,  or  in  their  religious 
organization?  They  did  not  give  up  the  tem- 
ple, or  the  synagogue,  or  any  of  their  social 
habits.  They  did  not  cease  observing  Saturday 
as  their  Sabbath.  They  only  added  to  the  use 
of  Saturday  as  Sabbath  the  recognition  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week  as  the  Lord's  day.  And  so 
not  abruptly,  but  gradually,  there  came  in  the 
Christian  community  a  transfer  of  the  day  of 
rest  from  the  seventh  to  the  first  day  of  the 
week.     At  first  both  days   were  more   or  less 


IM     MISSIONS  frovi  the  MODERN  VIEW 

observed.  But  at  last  without  any  upheaval  the 
first  day  became  the  sole  Sabbath  of  the 
Christians  of  the  world. 

It  also  has  not  been  sufficiently  understood 
that  it  is  a  mistake  to  assume  that  the  social 
structure  of  any  country  should  be  changed 
from  its  own  type  into  the  American  type. 
Changed  it  must  be,  and  will  be;  infused 
with,  and  molded  by  Christian  principles  and 
motives  it  should  be;  and  by  God's  grace  it 
eventually  will  be  changed  into  a  Christian  civil- 
ization. But  it  will  be  a  different  type  of 
civilization  from  that  which  prevails  in  America. 
Change  is  not  always  improvement ;  or  it  may  be 
only  partial  improvement  and  partial  deteriora- 
tion; and  change  in  an  undesirable  and  effete 
type  of  society  may  produce  only  partially  desir- 
able results.  Under  the  influence  of  Christian 
missionaries  some  social  changes  in  some  lands 
have  probably  wrought  more  evil  than  good. 
But  that  is  simply  saying  that  good-intentioncd 
people  have  made  mistakes  in  other  lands  just  as 
they  have  in  America.  In  short,  what  may  be 
good  for  the  West,  may  not  only  not  be  now 
good  for  the  East;  it  may  be  even  undesirable 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      1^5 

now;  tli()ii<^li  later  tlic  development,  of  society 
there  may  approxlnwite  the  type  of  society  in  the 
West.  This  in  no  way  implies  that  Christian 
ideas  and  principles  should  not  control  every- 
where. The  world's  way  of  living  in  society 
is  bound  eventually  to  l)e  the  way  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  hazardous  to  <»;enerallze  upon  anything 
in  India,  because,  as  has  been  Intimated  in  a 
previous  lecture,  the  structure  of  society  there, 
as  the  structure  of  religion,  is  not  altogether 
homogeneous.  India  Is  not  and  never  has  been 
one  nation.  It  Is  a  coiiglonierule  of  races  and 
of  social  phenomena.  This  Is  one  reason  why 
people  who  talk  about  that  country  differ  so 
much  in  their  statements  and  in  their  opinions. 
In  the  most  backward  classes  there  is  still  a  com- 
paratively piiniilive  type  of  society.  In  other 
classes  there  Is  an  advanced  type  of  social  organ- 
ization. And  yet  it  seiins  safe  to  say  that.  In 
general,  society  In  India  Is  more  in  the  intermedi- 
ate state.  It  certainly  is  the  country  where 
individualism  is  at  the  minimum  and  where  social 
solidarity   is  most  pronounced. 

The  missionary   to  India  needs  to  remember 


126     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

that  the  hfe  of  society  has  a  physical  basis. 
Man  cannot  wholly  rise  above  his  physical  en- 
vironment. The  upward  trend  of  society  comes 
when  environing  forces  are  gradually  modified. 
But  sometimes  the  combination  of  those  very 
forces  with  the  working  of  some  new  forces 
enables  men  eventually  to  make  those  very  forces 
which  pressed  them  down  become  the  means  of 
rising  higher.  India's  physical  environment  has 
largely  developed  its  social  structure.  Its  cli- 
mate is  on  the  whole  enervating.  Its  soil  is  so 
rich  that  without  strenuous  toil  it  produces 
enough  for  the  sustenance  of  the  body.  So 
Indians  naturally  have  not  been  energetic.  Shut 
out  from  much  contact  with  other  nations  of  the 
world  by  high  mountains  and  by  the  sea,  India 
has  led  a  self-contained  life.  When  successive 
torrents  of  invaders  from  the  northwest  poured 
through  mountain  passes  to  overwhelm  the  land 
the  Indian  easily  submitted.  This  submission 
was  mainly  physical,  and  yet  the  conquest 
aifected  the  internal  structure  of  society. 

The  family  organization  of  India  involves 
many  questions  which  the  missionary  should  con- 
sider and  understand.     The  type  of  family  in 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY     irt 

India  is  that  of  the  united  family  where  three 
generations  live  together.  This  has  been  partly 
due  to  economic  considerations.  There  have 
been  few  moral  restraints  on  the  increase  of 
numbers,  and  therefore  it  has  been  necessary  so 
to  organize  the  family  as  to  minimize  expenses 
and  to  multiply  the  means  of  support.  Nat- 
urally this  has  been  accomplished  by  having  two 
and  three  generations  united  together  and  living 
in  a  common  building.  And  this  made  it  neces- 
sary for  the  women  and  even  for  the  children  to 
work  for  the  support  of  the  united  family.  This 
organization  of  the  family  largely  controlled  the 
position  of  women.  It  made  the  head  of  the 
united  family  very  much  the  arbiter  in  settling 
all  questions  for  the  whole  group.  It  compelled 
the  younger  women  to  be  subject  to  the  older 
women.  It  greatly  limited  education.  It  placed 
the  discipline  of  most  of  the  members  of  the 
family  in  the  hands  of  one  or  two.  In  India,  as 
in  all  tropical  countries,  sexual  instincts  are 
early  developed  and  are  strong.  This  has  been 
one  main  reason  for  early  marriages  in  that 
country.  And  so  long  as  early  marriages  are 
the   rule,   the   united   family   system  has   some 


1S8     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

advantages  over  the  smaller  and  separate  family 
system  of  the  West.  As  this  family  system  has 
affected  the  marriage  system,  and  as  in  turn  the 
marriage  system  has  affected  the  family  system, 
it  ought  to  be  evident  to  the  Western  missionary 
that  none  of  these  customs  can  be,  or  should  be, 
hastily  changed.  Yet  how  hard  it  is  for  young 
missionaries  from  America,  especially  for  un- 
married young  ladies,  to  appreciate  that  the 
marriage  customs  and  family  customs  of  India 
are  not  so  harmful  as  they  seem  at  first  to  people 
who  have  a  different  system,  and  that  such 
marriage  and  family  customs  should  not  be  radi- 
cally changed  at  short  notice.  The  missionary 
rightly  seeks  to  give  boys  and  girls  an  education 
in  schools,  and  to  give  the  brightest  of  them  an 
advanced  education.  He  easily  supposes  that 
education  is  mainly  a  matter  of  the  study  of 
books  in  schools.  But  the  Indian  united  family 
system,  with  its  early  marriages,  made  an  educa- 
tion for  girls  through  books  usually  out  of  the 
question.  A  girl  was  betrothed,  as  we  say,  or, 
as  the  Hindus  say,  married,  at  an  early  age.  In 
order  to  fit  into  the  future  united  family  life  of 
her  husband  she  has  to  spend  a  part  of  every 


MISSIONS   AND    SOCIOLOGY     129 

year  in  the  home  of  that  husband  even  while  she 
is  a  girl,  in  order  to  learn  to  take  her  part  in 
that  united  family  life.  She  spends  only  a  part 
of  her  time  in  her  own  home.  This  interferes  with 
study.  Very  early  she  becomes  a  mother  and 
has  to  carry  maternal  responsibilities.  Educa- 
tion for  the  boy  has  in  India  always  implied  more 
study  of  books  than  education  for  the  girl.  So 
in  those  families  where  such  education  was  prized 
it  was  possible  for  the  boy  to  go  on  with  the 
study  of  books  even  when  he  had  paternal 
responsibilities,  because  his  own  support  and  the 
support  of  his  wife  and  children  could  be  assured 
through  the  common  means  of  the  united  family. 
This  combined  some  advantages  with  some  dis- 
advantages. But  when  the  missionary  from  the 
West  sought  to  give  to  girls  an  education 
through  books,  and  rightly  realized  the  impor- 
tance of  postponing  to  a  later  date  than  Hindu 
custom  allowed  the  entrance  of  those  girls  into 
the  responsibilities  of  motherhood,  the  practical 
question  would  arise  as  to  how  long  marriage 
should  be  postponed,  and  how  long  education 
through  books  should  continue.  How  diflScult  it 
inevitably  is  for  unmarried  ladies  who  have  been 


130    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

brought  up  in  the  advantages  of  life  in  the  West 
and  who  have  never  studied  the  history  of  mar- 
riage and  the  history  of  society  in  non-Christian 
lands  to  realize  the  danger  of  postponing  too 
long  the  marriage  of  girls  whom  they  are  train- 
ing in  schools.  Perhaps  it  is  impossible,  and  it 
certainly  is  most  difficult,  for  such  Western  mis- 
sionaries at  first  to  realize  the  danger  of  immor- 
ality in  thought,  if  not  in  deed,  through  greatly 
postponing  the  marriageable  age  of  boys  and 
girls  in  such  lands.  It  requires  not  a  little  of 
the  teaching  of  history  and  of  experience  as  well 
as  of  idealism  to  decide  upon  the  best  age  for 
this  fundamental  matter.  Similarly  in  India  all 
arrangements  for  marriage  between  young 
people  are  settled  not  by  themselves,  but  by  their 
elders.  The  wisdom  of  this  course  is  one  of  the 
very  hardest  matters  for  young  missionaries, 
especially  for  young  ladies  from  America,  to 
realize.  But  this  custom  has  so  many  advan- 
tages that  radical  change  in  the  matter  of  mak- 
ing matches  should  not  be  suddenly  attempted. 
Happiness  in  the  married  state  does  not  depend 
upon  the  way  in  which  young  people  enter  into 
it.     It  depends  on  whether  the  young  man  and 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      131 

the  young  woman  are  truly  mated  or  not.  If 
they  are  truly  mated  and  fitted  to  be  helpmeets 
of  one  another,  they  will  live  happily  together 
however  it  came  about  that  they  were  made  man 
and  wife.  Whereas,  though  without  the  interven- 
tion of  any  other  person  they  absolutely  settle 
for  themselves  that  they  should  become  husband 
and  wife,  if  they  are  not  truly  mated,  their  mar- 
ried life  is  apt  to  be  anything  but  satisfactory. 
Yet  in  the  West  it  is  largely  assumed  that  the 
only  reasonable  and  satisfactory  way  for  a  male 
and  female  to  decide  whether  to  become  husband 
and  wife  is  for  themselves  entirely  to  settle  the 
question  after  more  or  less  courting  and  without 
much  counsel  from  relatives  and  elders.  But  in 
India,  where  the  parties  are  young,  and  where 
for  many  reasons  it  is  not  wise  or  feasible  for  the 
two  sexes  to  have  much  intercourse,  and  so  for 
boys  and  girls  to  be  intimate  or  to  know  much 
about  each  other  and  each  other's  families,  the 
prudent  way  for  good  matches  is  for  the  elders 
to  take  the  initiative,  and  also  to  have  a  large 
part  in  deciding  whether  a  marriage  between  a 
boy  and  a  girl  is  a  wise  one  or  not.  The  two 
changes  which  Christian  civilization  ought  soon 


132     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

to  bring  about  and  does  bring  about  are,  first: 
that  the  age  of  true  marriage  should  be  some- 
what deferred ;  and  second :  that  neither  boys  nor 
girls  should  be  required  to  enter  into  the  mar- 
riage relation  without  their  own  consent  and 
without  something  of  a  desire  for  such  a  rela- 
tion. Missionaries  are  bringing  about  these  two 
changes  as  fast  as  practicable.  But  at  first  the 
young  and  inexperienced  missionary  thinks  it 
very  strange,  and  even  improper,  that  he  or  she 
or  relatives  should  be  expected  or  allowed  to  have 
much  part  in  making  matches  for  Christian 
young  people.  "  That  is  a  matter  which  the 
young  people  must  entirely  settle  for  themselves 
without  consulting  me  or  anyone  else,"  is  the 
first  impulse  of  the  missionary  from  the  West 
who  has  no  knowledge  of  the  history  of  marriage 
in  India  or  experience  of  the  mistakes  which 
come  when  the  missionary  fails  to  use  his  or 
her  influence  in  the  matter.  Nor  is  it  alone  in 
India,  but  in  many  another  missionary  land,  that 
wise  missionaries  find  it  very  desirable  that  they 
should  have  considerable  part  in  helping  the 
youth  in  their  schools  and  the  young  men  and 
women  in  the  Christian  community  and  the  par- 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY     133 

ents  of  young  people  in  deciding  wisely  in  the 
most  important  matter  of  selecting  husbands  and 
wives.  In  other  directions  also  the  marriage 
question  is  in  some  respects  one  of  the  most  per- 
plexing for  the  missionary.  The  principle  of 
the  Bible  rightly  assumes  that  a  man  should  not 
marry  a  woman  with  whom  he  cannot  have  sym- 
pathy in  religion,  as  in  other  matters,  and  so 
marriage  with  an  unbeliever  was  strongly  dis- 
countenanced by  the  apostle  Paul.  But  he  did 
not  have  in  mind  that  state  of  society  which 
exists  in  many  missionary  fields  in  India.  It  is 
not  likely  that  the  Christian  man  whom  Paul  had 
in  mind  would  have  had  any  difficulty  in  finding 
a  Christian  wife ;  or  that  he  would  be  unable  to 
meet  his  responsibilities,  if  he  was  unable  to 
marry  a  Christian  wife.  But  in  some  missionary 
fields  in  India  the  situation  is  very  different.  In 
all  the  early  stages  of  missionary  effort  in  India 
men  become  Christians  in  larger  numbers  than 
women,  because  the  women  are  more  secluded  and 
have  fewer  opportunities  for  Christian  instruc- 
tion and  inspiration.  Moreover,  as  a  Christian 
community  grows  the  effort  is  made  to  give  as 
many  Christian  girls  as  possible  an  advanced 


134    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

education.  A  well-educated  girl  ought  to  have, 
if  possible,  an  educated  husband.  But  it  is  by 
no  means  an  uncommon  occurrence  that  when 
the  number  of  Christian  men  exceeds  the  number 
of  Christian  women  it  is  impossible  for  some  of 
those  men  to  get  a  Christian  wife.  It  is  not 
desirable  nor  safe  for  many  men  to  live  in  celi- 
bacy. In  India  a  widower  with  a  family  of  little 
children  often  cannot  get  a  Christian  woman  to 
go  into  his  home  and  be  a  mother  to  his  children. 
Yet  the  Pauline  injunction,  "  Be  not  unequally 
yoked  with  unbelievers,"  is  supposed  to  be  con- 
clusive in  settling  that  a  Christian  man  can  only 
marry  a  baptized  woman.  Under  the  stress  of 
such  circumstances  it  is  not  at  all  uncommon  for 
a  Christian  man  to  marry  an  unbaptized  female, 
even  though  he  knows  that  this  will  result  in  his 
being  excluded  from  church  membership.  The 
duty  of  that  Christian  widower  to  his  children 
requires  him  to  take  another  wife.  He  can  get 
a  non-Christian  woman  who  is  uninstructed  in 
religious  matters  to  become  to  him  a  faithful 
wife  and  to  his  children  a  good  mother;  but  he 
cannot  get  a  Christian  wife.  Ought  the  Pauline 
injunction  to  be  stretched  to  cover  that  case.? 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      135 

Ought  he  to  be  disciplined  if,  though  for  years 
he  has  sought  a  Christian  wife  and  cannot  get 
one,  he  takes  a  non-Christian?  To  avoid  this 
difficulty,  some  missionaries  sometimes  quickly 
baptize  such  a  woman,  in  order  that  she  may 
technically  be  called  "  Christian."  But  mani- 
festly this  is  debasing  the  rite  of  Baptism,  and 
of  course  it  is  regarding  merely  the  letter,  and 
not  the  spirit  of  the  Pauline  command.  Or  some- 
times when  a  Christian  man  has  for  years  sought 
in  vain  for  a  Christian  wife  the  stress  of  circum- 
stances leads  him  into  illicit  and  sinful  relations 
with  a  woman  with  whom  he  would  have  liked  to 
contract  honorable  marriage,  but  was  prevented 
by  the  PauHne  injunction.  Modem  sociology 
shows  that  history  cannot  absolutely  settle  such 
questions.  In  accordance  with  modern  views  of 
God  and  the  world  it  should  be  recognized  that 
the  apostolic  command  in  question  is  not  the  sole 
authority  for  the  settlement  of  questions  very 
unlike  those  which  called  forth  that  injunction. 
Does  not  the  principle  which  Jesus  Christ 
applied  to  the  Sabbath  question  apply  also  to 
the  marriage  question.?  Would  not  the  Chris- 
tian principle  be  that  marriage  is  made  for  man, 


136    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

and  not  man  for  the  marriage  ideas  of  Biblical 
times  ? 

Similarly  the  Christian  missionary  rightly 
considers  caste  an  institution  which  in  many 
respects  is  more  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  Christ 
than  any  other  social  institution  of  India.  He 
therefore,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  rightly 
seeks  to  break  down  its  unbrotherly  character- 
istics. But  when  the  question  comes  of  the  wis- 
dom of  marriage  between  people  who,  though 
originally  of  different  caste,  have  become  Chris- 
tian, it  does  not  follow  that  because  people  of 
one  social  origin  object  to  marrying  people  of 
another  social  origin,  therefore  they  are  wrongly 
influenced  by  caste.  Nor  does  it  follow  that  it 
is  wise  often  to  promote  inter-marriage  between 
people  of  different  social  origins.  For  a  man 
marries  not  only  his  wife,  but  he  enters  into  close 
social  relations  with  all  that  wife's  relatives. 
And  a  wife  marries  not  only  her  husband,  but 
enters  into  close  social  relations  with  all  his  rela- 
tives. So  the  practical  situation  makes  most 
missionaries  very  slow  to  favor  easy  and  promis- 
cuous marriages  between  people  of  different 
social  origins. 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      137 

The  question  of  polygamy  Is  a  social  question 
not  so  easily  settled  in  every  state  of  missionary 
work  as  would  be  at  first  supposed  by  the  people 
of  America  and  by  the  inexperienced  missionary. 
It  was  Sarah  herself  who  gave  to  the  father  of 
the  faithful  her  servant  Hagar  to  wife.  The 
unfortunate  outcome  of  that  action  depended 
partly  on  the  fact  that  Sarah  herself  later 
became  the  mother  of  a  son.  Had  that  not  been 
the  case,  who  can  tell  what  the  history  of  the 
Abrahamic  family  would  have  been?  So  in  India, 
where  even  more  urgent  views  are  held  as  to  the 
importance  of  the  family  line  being  continued 
than  were  held  among  the  Hebrews,  it  is  not 
uncommon  that  a  Christian  wife,  who  has  no 
children  herself,  proposes  to  her  husband  that  he 
should  take  a  second  wife.  In  my  first  year  of 
missionary  life  a  man  once  asked  for  admission 
to  the  Christian  church  who  had  two  wives.  He 
had  taken  the  second  wife  because  the  first  had 
no  children.  But  later  the  first  wife  also  became 
the  mother  of  a  son.  When  he  applied  for 
admission  to  the  church  he  was  told  by  the  strong 
Indian  Christian  pastor  that  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  put  away  one  of  his  wives.     Neither 


138     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

wife  wished  to  leave  him.  Neither  wife  was  con- 
scious of  having  done  him  or  anyone  any  wrong. 
Each  was  the  mother  of  a  son,  and  each  nat- 
urally asked  "  Why  should  I  be  put  away  from 
my  husband  and  home?  "  But  the  rule  of  the 
church  forbade  the  reception  of  a  man  with  two 
wives.  And  he  was  encouraged  to  feel  that  it 
was  more  important  that  he  should  join  the 
church  than  that  he  should  retain  both  wives. 
So  at  last,  contrary  to  her  wish,  he  gave 
a  writing  to  one  of  the  wives,  saying 
that  she  was  free  to  go  where  she  pleased 
and  do  as  she  pleased,  and  that  so  long  as 
she  remained  otherwise  unmarried  and  remained 
good,  he  would  give  her  a  small  monthly  ahmony. 
Then  he  was  received  into  the  church.  But  the 
result  was  that  that  faithful  wife  who  was  put 
out  of  her  home  came  to  lead  a  bad  life.  With 
more  experience  I  now  very  well  see  that  the 
proper  course  to  have  been  followed  was  to  have 
said  to  the  man,  "  We  will  not  receive  you  into 
the  church  because  you  have  two  wives.  But, 
because  you  have  brought  them  into  that  rela- 
tion, and  have  made  them  mothers  of  sons,  you 
cannot  rightly  desert  either  or  compel  her  to 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      139 

leave  your  care  and  support.  Whenever  in  the 
course  of  events  you  may  be  the  husband  of  only 
one  wife,  if  you  then  live  as  a  Christian  man, 
and  wish  it,  we  shall  receive  you  into  our 
fellowship." 

In  the  Jewish  Church  and  in  the  early  Chris- 
tian Church  it  was  not  by  radical  and  severe 
enactments  that  polygamy  was  put  away.  Like 
slavery  it  disappeared  under  the  dynamic  of 
Christian  principles.  So  far  as  I  know,  most 
missionary  societies  in  India  would  now  naturally 
follow  the  course  which  I  have  indicated,  viz., 
they  would  decline  to  receive  a  polygamist  into 
church  membership,  but  would  not  thereby  deny 
that  he  might  be  a  Christian  at  heart  and  a 
Christian  in  life. 

The  history  of  social  institutions  has  instruc- 
tion for  the  Christian  missionary  in  the  impor- 
tant matter  of  knowing  how  to  deal  with  vice. 
It  is  claimed,  I  do  not  know  with  how  much  accu- 
racy, that  in  some  districts  in  England  the  insti- 
tution of  a  good  many  homes  for  fallen  women  is 
increasing,  instead  of  diminishing,  immorality. 
Under  the  ordinary  working  of  God's  law  sin  is 
followed  and  should  be  followed  by  its  natural 


140     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

evil  consequences  of  all  kinds.  This  is  not  in- 
consistent with  the  Christian  principle  that  by 
God's  grace  men  may  give  up  their  sin,  and  that 
some  of  the  evil  consequences  of  sin  will  be  put 
away,  and  that  there  is  no  greater  privilege  and 
duty  for  the  Christian  than  to  be  one  who  saves 
others  from  their  sins,  and  helps  the  repentant 
sinner  to  escape  from  such  consequences  of  the 
sin  as  he  can  escape  from.  Yet  that  does  not 
imply  that  while  men  and  women  repent  of  sin 
they  should  be  easily  shielded  from  as  many  of 
the  natural  results  of  wrong-doing  as  possible. 
Sociology  teaches  that  it  is  a  complicated  and 
difficult  question  to  know  how  to  deal  with  vice 
in  the  West.  It  is  important  for  the  missionary 
to  know  the  teachings  and  principles  of  sociol- 
ogy as  to  the  best  ways  of  dealing  with  vice  in 
non-Christian  lands  where  the  social  institutions 
are  different  from  those  in  the  West.  Yet  I  pre- 
sume it  would  be  a  matter  of  great  astonish- 
ment to  most  missionaries  to  hear  that  some  good 
men  and  women  in  England  have  some  doubts 
as  to  the  entire  wisdom  of  multiplying  such  insti- 
tutions as  have  just  been  mentioned;  and  that 
therefore  it  docs  not  certainly  follow  that  such 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      141 

institutions  should  be  multiplied  in  non-Christian 
lands. 

Education  Is  principally  a  social  phenomenon. 
How  much  modern  ideas  of  education  have  been 
changed  in  this  land  in  recent  years!  How 
much  scientific  pedagogy  is  now  required  before 
even  a  college-bred  man  or  woman  is  em- 
ployed as  an  instructor  in  the  public  schools 
of  some  cities,  and  in  private  institutions ! 
How  much  emphasis  is  now  placed  upon 
kindergarten,  upon  manual  training,  upon 
school  discipline,  upon  cultivating  the  aesthetic 
taste!  And  similar  pedagogical  qualifications 
will  soon  be  thought  to  be  essential  and  will 
become  common  among  missionary  candidates. 
The  last  word  on  co-education  may,  or  may  not, 
have  beon  said  for  America.  In  a  land  like 
India  co-education  is  only  beginning  to  be  pro- 
posed and  attempted,  for  the  logical  situation 
has  legitimately  led  the  missionary  to  be  slow  in 
proposing  it  in  the  schools.  Yet  probably  there 
is  going  to  be  much  more  of  co-education  in 
foreign  lands. 

Industry    and   charity    are   important   social  y 
phenomena.     The  missionary  has  to  follow  some 


142     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

policy  In  regard  to  these  questions.  Indiscrim- 
inate and  unwise  charity  has  been  almost  the 
worst  scourge  of  India.  How  far  the  mission- 
ary in  that  country  can  radically  depart  from 
old  customs  Is  not  easy  to  decide.  But  certainly 
the  wise  principle  is  to  displace  the  need  of  mis- 
placed charity  and  to  develop  the  industrial 
capacity  and  habits  of  the  land.  On  this  prin- 
ciple nowadays  the  Industrial  side  of  mission- 
ary effort  Is  rightly  receiving  and  is  likely  to 
receive  more  attention. 

The  Indian  missionary  Is  sometimes  charged 
with  denationalizing  Indian  Christians.  There 
Is  danger  on  this  point.  It  is  easy  to  Increase  a 
sense  of  need  and  dissatisfaction  with  economic 
ways  and  surroundings.  So  far  as  this  dissatis- 
faction stimulates  adequate  exertion  for  the  sup- 
ply of  those  needs,  so  far  the  missionary  does 
well.  But  In  schools  and  churches  to  Increase 
the  needs  and  habits  of  people  which  their  own 
resources  cannot  meet  or  supply  Is  not  true 
kindness.  It  is  now  realized  that  it  Is  not  a  wise 
policy  to  take  children,  even  famine  children,  far 
from  their  own  district  and  surroundings, 
though  in  the  new  place  they  may  get  better  care 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY     143 

for  body  and  mind.  After  they  have  had  this 
care  and  are  grown  up,  they  may  not  be  fitted  to 
remain  in  their  new  habitat.  In  the  long  run  it 
might  have  been  better  for  them  to  have  had 
fewer  opportunities  in  their  own  district. 

More  distinctively  rehgious  questions  also  are 
in  some  measure  sociological.  The  missionary 
who  has  been  brought  up  with  Puritan  ideas 
about  Sunday  observance  in  the  surroundings 
of  New  England  life  naturally  imagines  that 
keeping  Sunday  in  the  New  England  way  is 
almost  a  sine  qua  non,  if  an  Indian  would  be  a 
Christian.  But  the  social  situation  is  so  differ- 
ent there  that  it  is  impossible  for  many  Chris- 
tians to  stop  all  Sunday  work,  just  as  unfor- 
tunately Sunday  work  is  more  common  in  New 
England  now  than  it  was  years  ago. 

All  government  is  a  social  relation,  and  so 
church  government  is  essentially  a  sociological 
question.  Men  now  see  that  history  does  not 
absolutely  settle  all  questions  of  any  kind.  In 
new  situations  God's  providence  often  gives  new 
points  of  view.  It  is  no  longer  believed  by  any- 
one in  America  that  there  is  any  divine  right  for 
kings.     Any  kind  of  government  that  secures 


144    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

the  welfare  of  a  people  is  ordained  of  God. 
Similarly  it  should  now  be  seen  that  the  Bible  is 
not  the  sole  source  of  authority  in  church  gov- 
ernment. What  the  Bible  teaches  and  helps  to 
secure  is  good  order.  Just  as  there  are  practi- 
cally three  types  of  secular  government,  all  of 
which  are  divine:  monarchical,  aristocratic,  and 
democratic,  so  there  are  three  types  of  church 
government,  all  of  which  I  believe  to  be  historical 
in  apostolic  times,  and  all  of  which  to  have  been 
of  divine  appointment.  I  believe  that  the  right 
reading  of  the  New  Testament  shows  that  in 
Palestine  the  first  Christian  Churches  were  Pres- 
b3i:erian  in  polity  because  they  were  Christian 
synagogues  instead  of  Jewish  synagogues,  and 
the  synagogue  system  is  practically  the  Presby- 
terian system.  In  Greece  the  early  churches 
were  democratic  or  Congregational,  for  the  very 
natural  reason  that  the  secular  government  was 
democratic;  and  since  religion  is  not  a  separate 
compartment  in  which  men  think  and  act  differ- 
ently on  Sunday  from  the  way  in  which  they 
think  and  act  about  all  matters  in  the  remaining 
six  days  of  the  week,  the  eccles'ioe  of  Greece  were 
democratic  in  constitution  and  action,  as  the  civil 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      145 

institutions  of  the  land  were.  The  monarchical 
principle  prevailed  in  the  Christian  church  in 
Rome.  If  this  position  is  correct,  the  Bible 
shows  that  all  three  forms  of  church  government 
are  of  apostolic  and  divine  appointment.  Sim- 
ilarly what  form  of  church  government  shall  now 
prevail  in  any  land  or  any  section  of  any  land 
is  settled  partly  by  the  heredity  and  partly  by 
the  surroundings  of  that  church.  Each  form  of 
government  has  its  excellences  and  its  weak- 
nesses. That  may  be  the  better  form  of  gov- 
ernment for  a  community  or  a  section  of 
churches  at  one  time  than  would  be  good  at 
another  period.  Personally  I  am  an  episco- 
presbygationalist.  That  is,  I  try  as  a  mission- 
ary to  unite  the  excellences  of  the  three  types  of 
church  government.  The  circumstances  of  mis- 
sionary responsibility  compel  me  to  be  an  episco 
or  bishop,  as  every  missionary  in  every  land  at 
first  has  been  and  must  be.  I  settle  a  great 
many  questions;  I  have  a  diocese  in  which  I 
exercise  large  control.  But  in  the  churches  of 
my  diocese  I  develop  preshys,  i.  e.,  committees 
composed  of  leaders,  as  much  as  I  can,  because 
the  leaders  of  a  church  in  any  community  always 


146     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

have  and  must  have  exceptional  fitness  to  exert 
an  influence  and  therefore  must  and  do  lead. 
But  I  am  also  a  gationalist.  That  is,  I  try  in 
every  church  to  help  every  member  to  feel  a  per- 
sonal interest  in  all  matters  of  the  church,  and 
by  placing  responsibility  on  him  I  try  to  qualify 
him  to  bear  still  further  responsibility,  and 
thereby  to  make  him  a  more  intelligent  Chris- 
tian, and  a  more  effective  member  of  the  organi- 
zation. My  impression  is  that  before  we  get 
through  with  it  all  types  of  church  government 
in  the  West  as  well  as  in  the  East  will  be  a  good 
deal  Episcopresbygational. 

Whether  a  church  should  have  a  pastor  or 
not;  whether  it  should  have  only  one  pastor  or 
not,  is  also  a  social  question.  The  apostolic 
churches  at  first  did  not  have  pastors  who  gave 
their  whole  time  to  the  service  of  the  church  in 
return  for  which  those  churches  paid  them  sal- 
aries. In  India  most  of  the  churches  are  not 
able  to  pay  for  pastors  who  give  their  whole 
time  to  the  churches.  As  the  community 
develops,  it  is  more  and  more  important  that  the 
leader  in  a  Christian  church  should  be  a  strong 
man  with  large  capacity,  and  the  need  of  some 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY     147 

such  pastors  will  be  more  appreciated.  But  the 
more  difficult  it  will  be  for  churches  of  limited 
resources  to  pay  for  such  pastors.  Because 
churches  in  the  West  should  have  pastors  whose 
support  they  supply,  it  does  not  necessarily  fol- 
low that  this  is  the  practical  and  best  way  for 
aU  missionary  churches  in  every  land. 

Another  very  important  sociological  principle 
is  how  far  a  missionary  should  use  authority, 
and  how  much  he  should  depend  upon  personal 
influence  apart  from  a  claim  to  authority. 
Power  to  inflict  penalties  is  one  important  ele- 
ment of  authority.  How  far  should  a  mission- 
ary be  a  man  who  can  wisely  inflict  pecuniary 
penalties.?  How  far  should  he  rather  let  the 
Christian  churches  and  community  sometimes 
make  mistakes  and  learn  by  experience  to  trust 
his  judgment  more,  or  how  far  should  he  depend 
on  his  own  sense  of  what  is  right  and  good,  in 
order  to  decide  all  social  matters,  even  though 
the  exercise  of  such  authority  should  alienate 
and  embitter  the  Christian  community.''  Of 
course  circumstances  must  help  to  decide  all  such 
questions.  The  situation  may  be  diff'erent  in 
one  country  or  in  one  district  from  the  situation 


148     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW, 

elsewhere.  One  type  of  man  can  perhaps  better 
f oUow  one  principle  than  another.  But  the  mis- 
sionary certainly  needs  to  bear  in  mind  one  prin- 
ciple which  he  often  easily  forgets:  viz.,  that 
the  exercise  of  power  of  any  kind  is  attended 
with  serious  dangers.  What  is  the  history  of 
the  priesthood  in  any  land?  Among  the 
Hebrews,  as  among  the  Hindus,  it  teaches  a  most 
impressive  and  suggestive  lesson:  that  the  reli- 
gious leader  who  uses  authority  of  any  kind  may 
easily  degenerate  into  a  tyrant  who  comes 
wrongly  to  consider  himself  as  an  authority  to 
settle  the  most  important  matters  for  those 
whom  he  ought  to  lead  only  by  teaching  and 
example.  The  power  of  the  purse  is  a  distinct 
danger  to  the  modern  missionary.  The  mission- 
ary can  easily  think  that  he  or  she  should  abso- 
lutely decide  when  a  boy  or  girl  should  or  should 
not  come  to  school  or  leave  school;  or  be  mar- 
ried or  not  be  married;  or  do  this  or  do  that, 
because  the  missionary  has  spent  some  money 
for  that  boy  or  girl.  For  past  or  future  pecu- 
niary favors  which  are  in  his  hand  he  can  come  to 
think  that  even  the  parents  or  relatives  of  those 
children  have  lost  their  right  or  their  qualifica- 


MISSIONS    AND    SOCIOLOGY      149 

tions  to  have  much  voice  in  settling  such  ques- 
tions. In  every  single  case  where  the  people 
have  had  intelligence  the  history  of  modern  mis- 
sions has  given  a  melancholy  illustration  of  hard 
feeling,  bitterness,  estrangement,  and  even  sep- 
aration from  the  church  and  Christian  principles 
when  missionaries  have  seemed  to  be  or  really 
were  arbitrary  in  thinking  that  they  should 
settle  all  questions,  though  they  might  have 
retained  the  confidence  of  those  whom  they  had 
alienated,  had  they  been  content  to  depend  on 
influence  rather  than  on  authority.  The  Holy 
Spirit  utters  no  commands:  He  influences  men. 
The  missionary  should  avoid  the  mistake  of  being 
limp ;  he  should  be  decided  in  exercising  proper 
discipline  and  in  carrying  proper  responsibility 
for  the  use  of  money.  Yet  even  when  he  dis- 
agrees with  the  Christians  of  his  community  he 
should  remember  that  the  greatest  service  he  can 
render  is  to  be  a  "  holy  spirit  "  himself,  who  by 
example  and  precept,  in  love  and  in  gentleness, 
as  well  as  by  plainness  of  reproof,  seeks  to  lead, 
rather  than  to  drive  those  whom  God  in  His 
mercy  has  brought  into  His  fold. 


A    COMPARISON    OF    CHRISTIANITY    AND 
HINDUISM* 

THE  scientific  and  thorough  examination 
of  the  religions  with  which  Christianity 
has  come  into  contact  is  a  recent  under- 
taking, but  a  general  comparison  for  practical 
purposes  has  been  one  principal  part  of  mission- 
ary activity  from  the  first  Christian  century. 
Paul  did  something  of  it  at  Lystra,  on  Mars 
HiU,  and  in  his  writings,  especially  in  the  first 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  At  first 
the  comparison  of  religions  for  practical  pur- 
poses naturally  dwelt  on  the  unsatisfactory  ele- 
ments of  non-Christian  faiths.  Formerly  the 
offices  of  medicine  largely  sought  to  cure  disease 
by  fixing  attention  on  abnormal  conditions  and 
on  removing  these  by  aid  from  without.  There 
was  little  thought  of  internal,  curative  forces. 
So  it  was  not  unnatural  that  the  offices  of  spir- 
itual medicine  were  worked  on  the  same  assump- 
tion and  method.     From  the  very  first  the  Chris- 

*  In  preparing  this  chapter  use  has  been  made  of  Slater's 
The  Higher  Hinduism  in  Relation  to  Christianity. 

150 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      151 

tian  missionary  saw  the  weaknesses  and  unsatis- 
factoriness  of  non-Christian  religions,  and,  be- 
lieving that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  only  one  to  free 
men  from  those  weaknesses,  the  missionary  saw 
little  good  in  those  ethnic  faiths.  History  has 
given  much  justification  to  that  early  method, 
for  all  the  religions  with  which  Christianity 
formerly  came  into  contact,  Greek,  Roman, 
Scandinavian,  Teutonic,  Keltic,  have  passed 
away.  No  religion  can  die  until  it  is  supplanted 
by  a  better  one,  for  man  is  essentially  religious 
and  must  have  some  religion.  The  old  religions 
passed  away  because  they  were  not  meeting  the 
needs  of  men  so  well  as  they  should:  and  since 
the  Christian  religion  took  their  place,  it  is 
plain  that  the  Christian  religion  was  better  than 
those  which  it  supplanted.  For  nineteen  centu- 
ries the  verdict  of  experience  has  uniformly  been 
that  when  any  fairly  pure  type  of  Christianity 
has,  for  any  considerable  period  of  time,  come 
into  contact  with  other  faiths,  it  has  displaced 
them,  and  they  have  gone.  When  Islam  came 
into  contact  with  a  corrupt  type  of  Christianity 
in  some  parts  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  it 
supplanted  them,  but  it  is  not  doubtful  that  it 


152     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

was  a  corrupt  type  of  Christianity  that  went  to 
the  wall.  In  his  "  Rise  and  Influence  of  Ration- 
alism in  Europe  "  Mr.  Lecky  has  said,  "  There 
is  but  one  example  of  religion  which  is  not  neces- 
sarily subverted  by  civilization,  and  that  ex- 
ample is  Christianity."  Even  with  this  inspir- 
ing record  of  history  as  to  the  comparative  value 
of  Christian  and  non-Christian  faiths,  some 
Christians  have  objected  to  examining  Chris- 
tianity with  other  religions,  as  if  the  former  had 
some  special  divine  basis,  which  puts  it  in  another 
class  from  other  religions,  and  which  should 
exempt  it  from  scientific  comparison.  But  the 
modem  view  of  God  and  the  world  forbids  such 
classification,  and  Christianity  appears  more 
certainly  fitted  to  be  the  religion  of  mankind 
as  it  receives  no  diff'erent  treatment  than 
other  faiths  when  all  are  compared  with  one 
another. 

When  comparing  Christianity  with  other  re- 
ligions missionary  advocates  have  sometimes  un- 
fairly compared  the  ideals  of  Christianity  or 
the  best  phases  of  Christendom  with  the  worst 
aspects  of  non-Christian  religions.  Of  course 
this  is  not  right.     Yet  it  is  not  surprising,  be- 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      153 

cause  human  nature  leads  men  for  practical  pur- 
poses to  set  roseate  ideals  against  a  strong  de- 
lineation of  evil  conditions.     Advertisements  of 
all  kinds  illustrate  this  tendency  of  human  na- 
ture.    Often  without  intending  to  exaggerate, 
the    characteristic    advertisement    would    seem 
to    imply    that    man    could    hardly    find    life 
worth  living  without  the   article  recommended. 
It   may   be   largely   due   to   the   same   natural 
propensity   that  non-Christian   advocates    con- 
trast   the    best    ideals    of    their    own    sacred 
books    with    the    current    evils    of    Christen- 
dom, forgetting  or  ignoring  the  clear  fact  that 
most  of  those  evils  are  due,  not  to  the  following 
of  Christian  principles,  but  to  a  disregard  of 
those  principles.     Even  in  America,  not  a  few 
intelligent  people  are  strongly  carried  away  by 
unfair  and  entirely  misleading  representations 
of   the  better  phases   of   ethnic   rehgions,   and 
imagine  that  the  fruits  of  the  ethnic  faiths  cor- 
respond to  the  ideahstic  statements  which  are 
quoted.    First-hand  knowledge  of  the  actual  and 
legitimate    fruits    of    those    faiths    would    im- 
mensely surprise  such  people  and  cause  a  revul- 
sion of  opinion.     Some  people  who  call  them- 


154     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

selves  Christians  are  nowadays  often  inclined 
to  suppose  that  one  religion  is  as  good  as  an- 
other. Dr.  John  Henry  Barrows,  the  President 
of  the  first  Parliament  of  Religions  at  the  Chi- 
cago World's  Fair  in  1893,  was  most  anxious 
that  a  second  similar  Parliament  of  Religions 
should  be  held  at  Benares  in  order  that  the  rep- 
resentatives of  all  other  faiths  might  not  only 
hear  what  can  be  said  in  praise  of  Hinduism, 
but  might  see  its  results  in  the  most  sacred  city 
of  that  faith.  But  no  shrewd  Hindu  would  ever 
consent  to  issuing  an  invitation  for  such  a  Par- 
liament to  meet  at  Benares.  In  India  the  most 
expressive  term  for  a  cheat  is  "  a  Benares  man." 
The  one  truth-seeking  course  is  to  compare  the 
ideals  of  one  religion  with  the  ideals  of  other 
religions,  and  also  the  power  of  one  and  the 
power  of  the  others  to  inspire  both  individuals 
and  society  measurably  to  realize  their  ideals. 
In  other  words,  like  phases  of  various  religions 
should  be  compared.  Any  honorable  student  of 
comparative  religion  now  seeks  to  follow  this 
principle.  Christian  advocates  certainly  should 
be  scrupulously  desirous  of  treating  all  ethnic 
faiths  with  both  justice  and  courtesy.     What- 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      155 

ever  may  be  the  result  to  Christianity  of  a  com- 
parison of  it  with  other  religions,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  result  of  such  recent  comparison 
has  been  one  cause  of  the  modern  view  of  God 
and  the  world,  and  that  it  certainly  has  in- 
creased reverence  for  God  by  increasing  recog- 
nition of  His  continuous  effort  to  reveal  Him- 
self to  His  human  children.  Such  scientific  and 
historic  study  of  religions  in  all  lands  has  given 
a  new  illumination  to  the  words  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  "  My  Father  worketh  even  until 
now,  and  I  work."  Nor  has  comparative  religion 
yet  led  men  to  find  reason  for  thinking  that  any 
other  previous  religion  can  take  the  place  of 
Christianity  hereafter. 

With  these  preliminary  remarks  on  the  prin- 
ciples which  should  control  the  comparison  of 
religions,  I  turn  to  some  comparison  of  Chris- 
tianity and  Hinduism,  because  my  experience 
is  principally  connected  with  the  contact  of  these 
two  faiths.  In  these  lectures  by  religion  I  mean 
any  people's  interpretation  in  thought  and  in 
act  of  what  God  is  trying  to  teach  them  by 
every  revelation  of  Himself.  As  Hinduism 
means   the   heterogeneous   ideas    and   practices 


156     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

which  historically  have  been  current  in  different 
types  of  Hindus,  so  Christianity  means  the  vary- 
ing ideas   and  practices  which  those  who   call 
themselves  Christians  have  followed  in  their  in- 
terpretation  of  God  and  of  the  world.      The 
purest  type  of  Christianity  would  begin  with 
Christ  and  with  the  best  interpretations  of  Him. 
But  many  types  of  Christianity  have  not  been 
pure,  and  since  Christianity  is  a  growing  reli- 
gion, even  up  till  now  it  has  not  become  all  that 
it  is  to  be.    In  seeking  to  compare  Hinduism  and 
Christianity   one   should  rightly   compare  only 
their   similar  aspects.      However,   since  neither 
has  had  one  consistent  type  and  development,  it 
is  difficult  to  decide  what  are  aspects  which  can 
be  fairly  compared.    Not  only  do  Greek,  Roman 
Catholic,  and  Protestant  types  of  Christianity 
differ  in  their  interpretation  of  what  is  Christian 
thought  and  practice,  but  different  schools  in 
those  different  churches  differ  quite  considerably 
among  themselves.    Nevertheless,  there  are  large 
outstanding  characteristics  of  religion  as  under- 
stood and  practiced  by  most   Hindus  and  by 
most  Christians  which  can  be  fairly  placed  in 
comparison. 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      157 

In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  Hinduism 
starts  from  nature  and  interprets  God  through 
it,  while  by  its  fundamental  and  characteristic 
doctrine  of  incarnation  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
Christianity  starts  with  human  nature,  and  in 
particular  with  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  and 
through  Him  and  through  less  perfect  human- 
ity interprets  God.  This  contrast  is  great  and 
suggestive.  Starting  from  nature  rather  than 
man,  and  always  following  that  direction,  how 
is  it  possible  to  arrive  at  a  personal  and  at  a 
high  ethical  conception  of  God.^*  Though 
hero-worship,  and  respect  for  virtues,  and  rever- 
ence for  Buddha  entered  into  Hinduism  as  form- 
ative principles,  they  were  entangled  in  earlier 
and  lower  elements.  But  the  influence  of  even 
these  somewhat  human  elements  was  again 
eclipsed  by  Vedantic  pantheism,  which  unques- 
tionably is  the  controlling  element  in  advanced 
Hinduism,  and  is  sub-conscious  even  in  polythe- 
ists  and  idolaters.  If  any  intelligent  Hindu 
were  asked  for  one  phrase  which  is  indubitably 
and  universally  Hindu,  he  would  say  it  is  "  eham 
eva  advitiyam,  "  i.  e.^  there  is  only  one  It;  no 
second.     Dr.  Deussen  is  the  principal  authority 


158     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

on  Hindu  philosophy.  In  his  "  Essay  on  the 
Philosophy  of  the  Vedanta,"  he  says,  "  The 
Vedanta  is  now,  as  in  ancient  times,  living  in 
the  mind  and  heart  of  every  thoughtful  Hindu. 
It  is  true  that  even  here  in  the  sanctuary  of 
Vedantic  metaphysics,  realistic  tendencies,  nat- 
ural to  man,  have  penetrated,  producing  the 
misinterpreting  variations  of  Sankara's  Advaita 
[pure  pantheism]  ;  .  .  .  but  India  till  now 
has  not  been  seduced  by  other  voices." 

The  character  of  any  religion  mainly  de- 
pends on  its  conception  of  God.  So  we  begin 
with  the  doctrine  of  God  in  Hinduism  and 
Christianity.  The  Hindu  pantheism  has  been 
the  controlling  element  in  forming  the  idea  of 
God.  Therefore  the  Hindu  doctrine  of  God 
cannot  be  personal,  and,  if  impersonal,  it  can- 
not be  ethical.  Even  when  some  theistic  doc- 
trine appears  in  high  phases  of  Hinduism 
as  developed  by  Madhva  and  Ramanuja,  while 
it  makes  Brahma  a  personal,  omnipotent,  and 
omniscient  God,  it  is  very  different  from  the 
Christian  conception  of  God,  because  the  former 
regards  God  as  essentially  different  from  the 
human    soul.     It   seems   fair   to   say   that   the 


CHRISTIANITY   AND    HINDUISM      159 

highest  Hindu  conception  of  God  as  personal 
makes  Him  to  consist  of  pure  thought,  without 
activity.  The  gods  of  the  polytheists,  and  espe- 
cially the  gods  of  the  modern  Epics  and  Pura- 
nas,  i.  e.,  the  gods  of  popular  Hinduism,  have 
characteristics  which  are  not  models  for  good 
men  to  follow,  and  sometimes  they  are  positively 
immoral  according  to  the  common  understand- 
ing of  the  masses,  though  doubtless  some  of  these 
interpretations  degenerated  from  earlier  and 
better  meanings. 

The  doctrine  of  God  even  in  the  least  ethi- 
cal and  least  spiritual  types  of  Christianity  has 
been,  and  is,  that  He  is  a  personal,  ethical  Cre- 
ator and  Ruler  of  the  universe  and  that  He  is 
ceaselessly  active.  Theologies  vary  as  to  His 
dealings  with  sin  and  sinners,  and  have  some- 
times been  such  as  are  repellent  to  modern  con- 
ceptions of  right.  But  even  those  repellent 
theories  were  because  men  thought  of  God  as 
just,  and  therefore  compelled  to  safeguard  His 
justice,  albeit  those  theories  made  His  efforts 
inconsistent  with  our  present  views  of  right. 
But  the  doctrine  of  God  which  naturally  follows 
from  the  Christian  doctrine  of  incarnation,  is 


160     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

that  God  is  like  Jesus  Christ,  full  of  truth  and 
grace.  Who  questions  that  this  is  the  highest 
doctrine  of  God  which  men  have  held?  Hindu- 
ism and  Christianity  have  both  a  doctrine  of 
incarnation  which  at  bottom  implies  that  when 
men  are  in  trouble  God  is  sure  to  come  near  to 
help  them.  But  the  Hindu  doctrine  of  incarna- 
tion differs  very  much  from  the  Christian  doc- 
trine. Of  the  ten  incarnations  of  Vishnu  the 
earlier  ones  are  incarnations  of  God  in  animals, 
such  as  a  fish,  a  tortoise,  and  a  boar.  Then 
comes  a  semi-animal  incarnation  as  a  man-lion, 
and  later  incarnations  in  human  beings,  though 
these  human  beings  are  in  some  respects  unlike 
ordinary  men. 

Also  in  comparing  the  doctrine  of  man  in 
Hinduism  and  Christianity  we  find  a  marked 
contrast.  According  to  Christianity  man  is 
made  in  God's  image  and  is  God's  child.  Ac- 
cording to  the  pantheistic  school  of  Hinduism, 
which  is  always  coupled  with  the  doctrines  of 
illusion  and  transmigration,  man  is  not  what  he 
seems  to  be.  He  is  one  link  in  an  indefinite  chain 
of  events.  He  once  may  have  been  an  animal. 
In  the  next  state  of  existence  he  may  become 


CHRISTIANITY   AND    HINDUISM      161 

another  animal.  Caste,  which  is  the  controlling 
element  of  popular  Hinduism,  has  no  dignity 
for  man  as  man.  For  however  good  and  capable 
a  low-caste  man  may  be,  he  can  never  in  the 
present  state  of  existence  rise  to  the  dignity  of 
a  man  of  high  origin,  however  incapable  and 
unethical  that  man  may  be,  provided  the  latter 
does  not  violate  the  laws  of  caste. 

The  doctrine  of  God  and  of  man  involves  the 
doctrine  of  sin.  According  to  pantheistic  Hin- 
duism sin  is  mainly  ignorance  and  yet  partly 
the  working  of  wrong  acts  in  a  previous  state, 
and  therefore  it  is  mainly  fate.  Where  the 
conscience  of  man  asserts  itself,  sin  is  sometimes 
ethical  wrong-doing,  for  which  a  man  himself 
is  responsible.  Yet  the  word  sin  in  its  most 
common  and  most  characteristic  meaning  ex- 
presses not  doing  that  which  is  inherently  and 
always  wrong,  but  in  particular  it  is  disregard 
of  caste  requirements ;  it  is  an  unfortunate  con- 
dition, due  as  much  perhaps  to  the  action  of 
others  as  to  one's  own  responsible  deeds.  Being 
touched  by  a  low-caste  man  brings  a  man  into 
more  difficulty,  for  which  expiation  must  be 
made,  than  anger  or  pride.     Among  Christians 


162    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

also  there  have  been  low  conceptions  of  sin. 
It  has  sometimes  been  understood  to  be  disregard 
of  commandments  by  the  church,  or  by  the 
priest.  Yet  probably  there  has  been  even  in 
the  lower  types  of  thinking  among  Christians 
an  ethical  element,  and  certainly  on  the  whole 
in  Christianity  sin  is  wrong-doing  toward  God 
and  toward  men  and  toward  one's  self,  for  which 
one  is  responsible  and  which  results  in  making 
a  man's  soul  unclean. 

The  doctrine  of  sin  has  as  its  counterpart  the 
doctrine  of  salvation.  Undoubtedly  among 
Christian  churches  there  have  been,  and  still  are, 
inadequate  and  even  wrong  conceptions  of  what 
salvation  truly  is.  Even  when  salvation  was 
largely  thought  of  as  a  future  condition  in  a 
safe  place,  there  was  some  element  of  apprecia- 
tion that  it  was  a  matter  of  character.  Cer- 
tainly in  pure  Christianity  as  taught  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  salvation  is  simply  and  only 
soundness  of  character.  Negatively  it  is  sal- 
vation from  sinning,  and  positively  it  is  strength 
and  virtue  in  the  soul.  In  Hindu  pantheism  sal- 
vation is  release  from  conscious  existence.  In 
caste  it  is  remaining  within  the  pale  of  caste 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      16S 

requirements.     In  popular  Hinduism  it  is  get- 
ting favors  of  any  kind  from  the  gods. 

In  regard  to   the  means   of  salvation  there 
are  points  of  contact  and  of  contrast  between 
Hinduism  and  Christianity.    According  to  pan- 
theism the  principal  means  of  securing  bliss  is 
by  the  path  of  knowledge.     According  to  or- 
dinary Hinduism  it  is  through  austerities  and 
through  the  merit  of  many  good  works  that 
sin  can  be  atoned  for  and  the  person  brought 
into  a  right  condition.     However,  in  Hinduism 
there  is  also  a  doctrine  of  grace  according  to 
which  by  the  favor  of  the  gods  a  sinner  can 
lose  some  of  the  results  of  his  wrong-doing  and 
unfortunate  condition.     The  word  prdyaschit, 
meaning  expiation  or  atonement,  is  a  word  of 
great  significance  and  of  common  usage  among 
Hindus.     While  it  doubtless  implies  that  a  man 
who  is  in  trouble  recognizes  that  he  has  done 
wrong,  and  that  he  must  make  some  expiation 
for  wrong-doing,  yet  for  the  most  part  repen- 
tance is  not  thought  of  as  any  necessary  part 
of  such  expiation.     In  modern  times  the  word 
prdyaschit    principally    expresses    the    penance 
which  a  man  must  perform  to  do  away  with  the 


164^     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

results  of  disregard  of  caste  regulations.  For 
example,  if  an  intelligent  Hindu  gentleman 
crosses  the  ocean  in  order  to  go  to  a  foreign 
land  for  a  higher  education,  even  with  the  in- 
tention of  thereby  qualifying  himself  to  serve 
his  country  better,  he  must  on  returning  to  India 
do  penance,  i.  e.,  make  a  prdyaschit,  before  he 
can  be  restored  to  society.  Among  some  of  the 
adherents  of  Christianity  there  have  been  me- 
chanical conceptions  of  atonement.  But  in 
general  even  in  the  grosser  types  of  the  doc- 
trine there  was  some  recognition  of  the  fact  of 
suffering  on  God's  part  due  to  the  sin  of  His 
human  children,  and  of  His  hatred  of  wrong- 
doing as  the  essential  element  in  the  means  of 
salvation  which  Christ  revealed.  And  nowa- 
days I  suppose  the  understanding  to  be  very 
common  that  the  suffering  of  Christ  expresses 
God's  eternal  sorrow  for  sin,  and  the  profound 
truth  that  He  must  always  suffer,  when  for  any 
reason  His  human  children  fail  to  live  up  to 
right  relations  with  Himself,  and  that  the  suf- 
ferings of  Christ  as  expressing  the  sorrow  of 
God  are  the  way  by  which  sinners  are  brought 
into  reconciliation  with  their  Heavenly  Father, 


CHRISTIANITY   AND    HINDUISM      165 

because  through  the  sufferings  of  Christ  as  a 
revelation  of  God's  suffering  there  awakens  in 
the  sinner's  heart  a  sense  of  his  own  wrong- 
doing, and  a  repentance  and  a  desire  to  sin  no 
more.     The  doctrine  of  the  Cross  is  central  in 
Christianity  as  expressing  God's  eternal  and  in- 
finite pain  for  sin  in  man  and  His  readiness  to 
do  all  that  He  can  to  reclaim  them.     In  Hin- 
duism there  is  no  such  doctrine  whatever.     In 
Christianity  there  is  also  prominent  the  fact 
that  God's  particular  way  of  reclaiming  men 
from  weakness  and  wrong-doing  and  of  drawing 
them  into  higher  and  purer  life  is  by  fellowship 
and  example.    Jesus  Christ  is  a  Saviour  of  men 
because  He  is  Himself  a  man  and  is  to  us  an 
elder  Brother,  who  by  His  example,  and  by  His 
fellowship  with  men,  and  by  His  suffering  for 
men  draws  them  to  God.     In  Hinduism  there  is 
no  Saviour.     The  highest  way  of  salvation  is 
the  way  of  knowledge,  which  is  a  long  and  hard 
way  which  very,  very  few   can   even  hope  of 
traversing.     For  the  common  Hindu  the  main 
way  of  salvation  is  the  way  of  works.    But  how- 
ever much  he  may  work,  this  is  not  supposed  to 
bring  him  purity  of  character,  though  it  may 


166    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

save  him  some  steps  in  the  long,  long  chain  of 
transmigration. 

One  of  the  principal  characteristics  of  Hin- 
duism, and  one  about  which  much  is  now  spoken 
in  the  West,  is  the  doctrine  of  karma.  The  word 
karma  really  means  deed.  And  the  doctrine 
means  that  men  must  suffer  the  results  of  their 
deeds.  This  doctrine  includes  a  large  measure 
of  important  truth.  It  is  akin  to  the  common 
teaching  of  the  Bible,  "  Whatsoever  a  man  sow- 
eth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."  And  the  helpful 
truth  in  this  doctrine  is  that  retribution  is  not 
arbitrary:  it  is  the  exact,  inevitable  result  of 
what  a  man  has  been  and  has  done.  But  the 
practical  weakness  of  Hinduism  is  that  this  doc- 
trine is  held  alone,  without  the  complementary 
and  equally  true  doctrine  that  a  man  can  escape 
in  some  measure  from  some  of  the  results  of 
wrong-doing,  and  also  that  he  may  lose  by 
future  wrong-doing  some  of  the  good  which 
would  result  from  past  good  deeds.  It  is  the 
plain  teaching  of  daily  experience  that  men  can 
forgive  one  another  and  can  put  away  some 
of  the  results  of  their  own  wrong-doing  and  of 
the  wrong-doing  of  others,  and  the  supreme 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      167 

teaching  of  Christ  is  that  God  is  trying  to  over- 
come karma,  so  that  where  sin  abounded  grace 
doth  much  more  abound,  and  so  the  worst  of 
sinners  can  have  hope  that  by  the  help  of  the 
living  God  the  trend  of  his  past  life  and  deeds 
can  be  changed  and  he  can  become  a  new  crea- 
ture. This  latter  is  a  doctrine  which  Hinduism 
does  not  know  and  cannot  teach. 

God  has  made  men  in  India,  as  in  other  lands, 
know  that  truth  and  kindness  and  gentleness  and 
patience  and  those  principles  which  we  in  the 
West  know  as  virtuous  are  desirable  and  helpful. 
His  Hindu  children  have  not  been  ignorant  of 
these  fundamental  teachings  of  their  Heavenly 
Father.  Yet  the  Hindu  religion  has  not  empha- 
sized such  matters,  and  has  often  greatly  ob- 
scured them.  Where  the  way  of  knowledge  is 
supposed  to  be  the  highest  way  of  religion,  and 
knowing  all  things  to  be  illusory  is  the  highest 
knowledge,  or  where  meritorious  deeds  can  pur- 
chase release  from  undesirable  conditions,  how 
can  repentance  and  humility  and  gratitude  and 
hope  be  naturally  stimulated?  The  power  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  Cross  as  developed  by  Paul 
finds  its  principal  commendation  in  the  fact  that 


168     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

therein  there  Is  a  power  to  produce  sorrow  for 
one's  own  sin,  and  humihty  for  one's  own  weak- 
nesses, and  trust  in  God  as  the  giver  of  grace, 
and  gratitude  for  the  receipt  of  undeserved 
kindness.  These  are  the  virtues  which  the  Cross 
is  fitted  to  develop  in  man,  and  it  has  developed 
them  as  no  doctrine  of  Hinduism  has  any  fitness 
to  do. 

According  to  the  higher  aspects  of  Hinduism 
there  is  no  place  for  prayer.  With  an  imper- 
sonal God  and  the  working  of  an  inevitable  Fate 
in  mind,  how  can  any  man  pray?  Yet  prayer 
is  instinctive  in  the  human  heart.  Men  in  diffi- 
culty and  in  sorrow  must  more  or  less  long  for 
relief.  So  polytheism  has  in  some  measure  pro- 
vided a  way  for  that  which  pantheism  and  karma 
cannot  provide.  Not  prayers,  but  vows,  are  a 
considerable  part  of  popular  Hinduism.  But 
vows  are  transactions  whereby  men  seek  to  pur- 
chase some  of  the  things  which  they  desire. 
Whereas  in  Christianity  prayer  has  a  very  high 
place.  God  being  a  living  God  and  in  ceaseless 
relations  with  all  men,  and  especially  being  like 
Jesus  Christ,  prayer  is  one  of  the  highest  and 
most  natural  and  most  hopeful  activities  of  the 


CHRISTIANITY   AND    HINDUISM      169 

human  soul.  And  Jesus  Christ  has  not  simply 
by  His  precepts  encouraged  men  to  pray,  but 
by  His  example  He  has  made  men  believe  that 
the  heart  of  God  longs  to  respond  to  the  upward 
look  and  appeal  of  His  human  children. 

Sacrifice  is  always  an  element  in  religion. 
Among  the  early  Hindus  the  sacrifice  of  animals 
was  very  prominent.  There  was  a  sacrifice  of 
the  horse,  of  the  cow,  of  lesser  animals,  and 
sometimes  even  of  man.  But  in  the  upward 
trend  God  was  more  and  more  showing  men  that 
the  sacrifice  of  animals  was  not  what  he  desires 
from  His  human  children.  Probably  when 
Ashoka,  the  first  great  Buddhist  monarch,  was 
on  the  throne  in  the  middle  of  the  third  century 
before  Christ,  he  gave  a  great  blow  to  sacrifice. 
The  Buddhist  and  Jain  doctrine  of  non-injury 
must  have  had  great  influence  in  deterring  men 
from  killing  animals  for  religious  purposes,  and 
Ashoka's  inscriptions  in  various  parts  of  India 
show  that  he  sought  to  prohibit  that  practice. 
Also  philosophers  in  their  doctrine  of  salvation 
by  knowledge  must  have  led  men  to  see  that  sac- 
rifice has  in  itself  no  real  value.  Similarly  in 
Christendom  after  Christ  the  sacrificing  of  ani- 


170     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

mals  gradually  died  out.  But  a  new  idea  of 
sacrifice,  as  the  giving  by  God  for  men  of  His 
beloved  Son  and  His  continual  suffering  for 
them,  brought  into  Christianity  a  higher  con- 
ception of  sacrifice.  Under  the  inspiration  of 
that  divine  example  the  sacrifices  of  Christianity, 
are  those  which  love  makes  to  enable  God  or  to 
enable  human  beings  whom  men  love  to  secure 
those  obj  ects  which  are  dear  to  Him  and  to  them. 
In  Western  India  even  twenty-five  years  ago 
it  was  a  common  thing  for  most  Hindus  to  say 
to  the  Christian  missionary,  "  Your  religion  and 
ours  are  very  different."  Now,  after  contact 
with  Christianity,  it  is  far  more  common  to  say, 
"  There  is  not  much  difference  between  your  re- 
ligion and  ours."  This  great  change  illustrates 
what  the  result  on  Hinduism  is  of  its  contact 
with  Christian  teachings.  Christian  ideas  and 
principles  are  gradually  fulfilling  and  supplant- 
ing Hinduism.  Yet  there  is  another  movement 
somewhat  in  the  opposite  direction,  viz.,  a  move- 
ment for  the  revival  of  Hinduism.  But  this 
is  not  strange,  because  religion  is  the  nearest 
and  dearest  object  to  men,  especially  to  con- 
servative men. 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      171 

One  of  the  points  in  which  Hinduism  and 
Christian  thought  come  nearest  in  words,  though 
not  so  near  in  reality,  is  the  desire  for  knowing 
the  truth  and  in  the  conviction  that  it  is  possible 
to  know  the  truth.  The  best  minds  of  India  have 
for  many  ages  been  eager  and  patient  and  self- 
sacrificing  seekers  for  the  eternal  and  the 
supreme.  But  to  the  Vedantist  to  know  is  to 
know  metaphysically,  to  accept  speculatively. 
And  according  to  Hindu  thought  all  that  one 
can  know  is  to  deny  that  anything  can  strictly 
be  predicated  of  the  Supreme.  It  is  without 
qualities  (nirguna),  without  differentiations 
{nirviseshika),  without  limitations  (nirupad- 
hika).  It  is  pure  being,  or  pure  thought,  know- 
able  "  only  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  senses  from 
every  external  object,  of  the  mental  faculties 
from  their  truest  cognitions,  and  by  complete 
suppression  of  the  passions."  Nothing  can  be 
affirmed  of  It  because  It  is  in  no  relation  to  us. 
Even  the  universal  forms  of  thought  are  unreal. 
Whereas  to  the  Christian  knowing  the  Supreme 
is  a  true  apprehension  of  a  real,  personal  God, 
who  is  knoTVTi  not  simply  by  the  intellect,  but 
also  by  the  heart  and  by  the  will,  just  as  we 


112     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

get  acquainted  with  human  beings.  Christ's 
teaching  is  this :  "  This  is  Hf  e  eternal,  that  they 
might  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God." 

It  is  also  a  characteristic  of  both  higher  Hin- 
duism and  of  Christianity  that  the  only  worthy 
object  of  knowledge  is  something  spiritual,  not 
material.  Thus  the  Svetasvatara  Upanishad 
VI.  20,  says :  * 

"When  men  shall  roll  up  space, 
As  it  were  a  piece  of  leather, 
[that  is,  when  the  impossible  shall  happen] 
Then  will  come  an  end  of  evil 
Apart   from  knowing   God." 

And  the  Mundaka  Upanishad  I.  2.  10,  11,  says: 

"  Thinking  sacrifice  and  meritorious  deed  the  chiefest. 

Naught  better  do  they  know, — deluded! 

Having  experienced  enjoyment  in  the  vault  of  heaven 

won  by  good  works. 
They  re-enter  this  world  or  a  worse. 

They  who  practice  austerities  and  faith. 
Who  dwell  serene,  possessing  knowledge. 
They,  being  freed  from  stain,  depart  hence 
To  where  is  the  immortal  Person,  e'en  the  imperishable 
Spirit   [Atman]." 

*  This  and  following  quotations  from  the  Upanishads 
are  from  a  forthcoming  Translation  of  the  Principal 
Upanishads,  by  R.  E.  Hume,  Ph.  D. 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      173 

In  words,  and  in  some  true  degree  in  reality, 
this  thought  resembles  the  teaching  of  Christ, 
who  says,  "  Lay  not  up  for  yourself  treasures 
upon  earth,  where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt, 
and  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal :  But 
lay  up  treasures  for  yourselves  in  Heaven." 
"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall 
see  God."  But  the  Christian  sense  of  true 
knowledge  is  something  different  from  meta- 
physical speculation,  and  is  expressed  in  the 
words,  "  The  world,  in  its  wisdom,  knew  not 
God."  So  that  there  is  a  deep  contrast  between 
Hinduism  and  Christian  thought  about  what 
constitutes  the  knowledge  of  the  Supreme.  The 
former  is  speculative  knowledge:  the  latter  is 
personal  intimacy  gained  by  all  the  powers  of 
man.  The  speculative  knowledge  of  the  Vedan- 
tist  results  in  his  assuming  that  It  is  all,  and 
that  I  myself  am  It.  The  practical  knowledge 
of  the  Christian  is  that  God  is  the  Father  of 
our  spirits;  that  He  is  love;  and  that  we  have 
fellowship  with  Him  as  sons,  similar  to  the  fel- 
lowship which  man  has  with  man.  Through 
knowledge  to  loss  of  conscious  existence  is  the 
Hindu  ideal:  through  the  life  of  Christ,  and 


174     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

later  through  our  own  purified  life,  to  intimacy 
with  the  living  God,  is  the  Christian  ideal.  Thus, 
first  on  the  testimony  of  Christ,  as  one  whose 
own  life  gives  assurance  that  He  knows  that 
whereof  He  speaks,  and  then  by  our  own  experi- 
ence, we  know  God  by  our  whole  being,  our 
intellect,  heart,  and  will,  and  grow  into  intimacy 
with  Him. 

There  is  a  contrast  between  the  conception  of 
the  soul  in  the  East  and  in  the  West.  In  the 
West  the  assumption  is  that  the  soul  of  man 
is  a  self-conscious  intelligence  and  will.  In  Hin- 
duism there  is  more  than  one  conception  of  the 
soul.  In  the  lowest  types  of  Hinduism  there  is 
no  clear  understanding  of  the  soul,  but  probably 
it  is  something  which  controls  the  body,  with- 
out much  thought  of  its  nature  or  its  future. 
In  higher  Hinduism  the  soul  is  practically  a  very 
rarified  or  etherealized  body.  According  to  the 
main  belief  of  Hinduism,  especially  of  the  San- 
khyan  philosophy,  the  universe  is  made  up  of 
innumerable  souls  and  bodies.  Every  kind  of 
body — mineral,  vegetable,  animal,  human,  and 
even  divine — is  possessed  by  a  soul.  At  a  par- 
ticular time  a  particular  soul  occupies  a  par- 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      175 

ticular  body  for  some  important  reason.  Ac- 
cording to  Hinduism  the  individual  soul  has 
three  bodies.  According  to  the  Christian  it 
has  two.  It  has  in  this  present  world  a  physical 
body,  the  soma  sarhikon  of  St.  Paul.  And 
when  the  spirit  leaves  this  physical  body,  it  takes 
on  a  psychical  body,  the  soma  pneumatikon  of 
St.  Paul.  The  Hindu  says  that  the  individual 
soul  has,  (1)  a  corporeal  body  (sthula  sarira)  ; 
(2)  it  has  a  subtle,  or  psychic  body  (sukshma 
sarira),  as  minute  as  a  point,  composed  of 
sense,  volition,  and  cognition,  which  is  built  by 
his  thoughts,  and  which  accompanies  the  soul  in 
all  its  migrations.  In  regard  to  these  two  bodies 
the  Hindu  idea  approaches  Christian  thought. 
But,  (3),  he  adds  a  third  or  causal  body, 
{kdrana  sarira),  which  is  not  a  real  body,  but 
is  like  a  dreamless  sleep,  into  which  illusion  will 
bring  the  soul.  So  both  physical  and  psychic 
bodies  are  eventually  to  pass  into  this  unreal 
body  when  consciousness  shall  cease. 

What  the  future  of  the  soul  is  to  be  after  it 
leaves  the  body  is  not  consistently  taught  in  all 
types  of  Hinduism.  Even  the  Bhagavada  Gita, 
which  is   esteemed  the  greatest  of  the  sacred 


176     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

writings  of  India,  teaches  that  being  virtuous 
is  not  the  end  of  Hfe,  and  that  virtue  does  not 
bring  the  highest  reward.  Thus  in  IX.  20,  21, 
Krishna  is  represented  as  saying: 

"Of  me   the   knowers   of   the   three   Vedas,  the  soma- 

drinkers,  the  purified  from  sin, 
When  they  sacrifice  with  offerings,  request  the  way  to 

heaven. 
Reaching  that  holy,  God-Indra's  world. 
They  eat  in  heaven  the  heavenly  feasts  of  the  gods. 

"  But  after  having  enjoyed  that  spacious  heavenly  world, 
When  their  merit  is  exhausted  they  return  to  this  mortal 

world. 
Thus,   though   having    followed   the   injunctions    of   the 

threefold  [Vedas], 
They  who  only  desire  desires  obtain  the  transitory." 

Similarly,  the  Brihad  Aranyaka  Upanishad  IV. 
3.  7  ff.  teaches  that  purification  from  sin  and 
the  practice  of  virtues  merits  only  a  transitory 
reward;  that  this  reward  is  enjoyed  in  a  festive, 
sensuous  paradise  and  that  the  heavenly  climate 
has  the  effect  of  sapping  and  withering  the  little 
merit  acquired,  and  when  this  is  worn  out  its 
possessor  comes  back  to  this  mortal,  sinful  world 
to  begin  the  round  again.  But  in  the  higher 
Vedantic  system  the  loss  of  conscious  existence 


CHRISTIANITY   AND   HINDUISM      177 

in  the  supreme  It  is  the  summum  honum  of  the 
individual  soul.  According  to  the  Brihad 
Aranyaka  Upanishad  II.  4,  12,  "  after  death 
there  is  no  consciousness."  In  the  Chandogya 
Upanishad  VIII.  11,  the  father  of  creation, 
Prajapati,  teaches  that  the  highest  attainable 
condition  of  anyone  is  like  profound,  dream- 
less, unconscious  slumber.  According  to  the 
Mandukya  Upanishad  7,  the  acme  of  existence 
for  a  person  is  the  condition  beyond  profound 
slumber,  "  having  no  inner  consciousness,  nor 
outer  consciousness,  nor  consciousness  of  either 
sort,  not  pure  intelligence,  nor  intelligence,  nor 
non-intelligence." 

The  doctrine  of  transmigration  is  one  of  the 
two  principal  doctrines  of  the  higher  Hinduism. 
In  the  early  phases  of  Hinduism  what  might 
happen  in  another  existence  was  not  a  common 
part  of  the  fear  which  troubled  men.  Nor  did 
the  early  Aryan  settlers  have  any  such  doctrine 
as  transmigration.  But  when  the  Hindus  began 
to  speculate  on  the  problem  of  evil  and  on  ulti- 
mate realities,  they  developed  the  most  thorough- 
going doctrine  of  metempsychosis.  In  many 
systems  of  thought  in  the  Orient,  as  well  as  in 


178     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Hinduism,  matter  is  evil.  Contact  of  the  soul 
with  matter  causes  impurity  which  must  be  re- 
moved. It  can  be  removed  by  successive  rebirths 
in  all  manner  of  bodies.  Men  whose  conduct 
has  been  evil  are  to  have  as  punishment  rebirth 
in  lower  animals,  even  in  vegetables  and  min- 
erals. This  doctrine  has  as  its  basis  the  pan- 
theistic conception  of  the  supreme.  A  meta- 
physical supreme  It  logically  carries  with  it  a 
metaphysical  conception  of  man  as  not  strictly 
personal,  with  no  personal  responsibility  and 
with  the  desirability  of  eventually  losing  the 
untrue  sense  of  personality  which  he  now  has. 
In  the  West,  where  the  assumption  is  that,  like 
the  supreme  soul,  the  individual  soul  of  man  is 
self-conscious  intelligence  and  will,  this  doctrine 
of  reincarnation  and  transmigration  cannot  be 
accepted,  because  a  self-conscious  intelligence 
cannot  be  suddenly  transferred  from  one  type  to 
another  most  unlike  type  of  existence  such  as 
that  a  man  should  become  a  mineral  or  vegetable 
or  even  animal.  Yet  the  underlying  truth  of 
transmigration,  though  badly  mixed  up  with 
metaphysical  and  ethical  error,  is  a  conviction 
of  the  continued  existence  of  the  soul  after  this 


CHRISTIANITY   AND    HINDUISM      179 

present  life.  However,  the  working  of  the 
theory  is  considerably  materialistic,  because  the 
merit  or  demerit  of  the  soul  in  one  state  of 
existence  mainly  depends  upon  the  particular 
body  which  it  inhabits  at  the  particular  time. 
Again,  this  doctrine  assumes  the  important  truth 
that  wrong-doing  of  any  kind  is  necessarily  fol- 
lowed by  evil  consequences,  and  this  meets  that 
sense  of  justice  which  is  in  every  human  heart. 
This  doctrine  has  its  attractiveness  as  an  at- 
tempt to  account  for  the  mixture  of  good  and 
evil  in  the  world  and  for  the  inequalities  of 
conditions  and  birth.  Without  a  personal  soul 
and  without  a  personal  and  merciful  God  who 
is  doing  His  best  to  develop  into  ethical  union 
with  Himself  the  souls  he  has  made  in  His  image, 
the  transmigration  doctrine  is  not  an  untenable 
one.  It  illustrates  what  has  been  emphasized 
in  previous  lectures,  that  it  is  simply  an  imper- 
fect interpretation  by  the  Hindus  of  that  which 
God  has  been  trying  to  teach  and  which  the 
Christian  interpretation  states  in  a  sounder  way. 
What  is  lacking  in  the  Hindu  doctrine  is  better 
explained  by  the  Christian  teaching.  Happi- 
ness and  misery;  do  not  mainly  depend  on  out- 


180     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

ward  conditions :  they  depend  on  moral  qualities. 
At  heart  the  world  knows  by  experience  that 
the  main  differences  between  men  are  the  con- 
ditions in  the  men  themselves  and  not  in  their 
circumstances.  Also,  that  even  the  conditions 
of  every  individual  in  this  life  depend  very  much 
on  contact  with  other  men  and  do  not  need  an 
explanation  from  assuming  a  former  state  of 
existence.  Modern  thought  still  more  confirms 
the  Christian  doctrine  by  throwing  light  on  the 
two  great  forces  of  heredity  and  environment, 
although  men  have  always  known  something  of 
their  power.  Heredity  and  environment  explain 
many  of  the  perplexities  which  led  the  Hindus 
to  the  theory  that  conditions  in  this  life  are 
wholly  due  to  actions  In  a  previous  state  of 
existence. 

No  well-informed  man  now  questions  that 
heredity  is  one  of  the  principal  forces  which 
work  In  forming  and  controlling  men.  The  con- 
tinuity and  solidarity  of  the  race  are  undeniable 
facts  which  are  becoming  more  and  more  clear, 
and  heredity  works  for  both  degeneration  and 
regeneration.  By  it  the  individual  receives  from 
his  ancestors   for  many   generations    his   chief 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      181 

physical  and  spiritual  characteristics  and  ten- 
dencies. Heredity  works  both  retribution  and 
beneficence.  And  the  knowledge  of  this  eternal 
law  is  more  and  more  one  of  the  principal  forces 
to  create  a  high  sense  of  responsibility  in  man- 
kind and  to  help  It  upward.  Similarly,  modern 
science  shows  how  environment  largely  accounts 
for  the  condition  and  development  of  the  indi- 
vidual. While  a  bad  environment  tends  to  re- 
produce crime,  yet  unquestionably  on  the  whole 
the  environment  of  men  Is  more  wholesome  than 
unwholesome,  and  human  nature  responds  to 
what  God  is  doing  for  it  through  the  manifold 
relations  of  society.  These  two  laws,  whose  uni- 
versal workings  are  indubitably  demonstrated, 
show  the  reasonableness  of  the  Christian  doc- 
trine of  man  as  having  his  first  existence  in  this 
world,  and  from  this  passing  into  the  next  world. 
Moreover,  the  Christian  doctrine  adds  one 
supreme  explanation  to  the  enigma  of  life  which 
the  Hindu  only  vaguely  understands,  viz.,  that 
sufl[^ering  has  a  spiritual  value.  Despite  its  per- 
plexity, suffering  Is  a  part  of  God's  wise  and 
loving  order  In  training  men.  This  is  in  the 
plainest  way  confirmed  by  the  life  and  work 


182    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

of  Jesus  Christ.  He  knew  no  sin,  yet  He  was 
the  greatest  suiferer.  But  amid  all  His  suffer- 
ings He  was  calm  and  hopeful  because  He  under- 
stood the  inevitableness  and  the  function  of  suf- 
fering in  a  sinful  world  as  expressing  the  neces- 
sary and  eternal  sorrow  of  God  for  the  sins  of 
men.  It  is  the  sorrow  of  God  for  the  sins  of 
His  children  which  draws  them  into  repentant, 
humble,  and  grateful  relation  to  Him  as  sons. 
"  Though  Jesus  was  a  son,  yet  learned  He  obedi- 
ence by  the  things  which  He  suffered;  and  has 
been  thereby  made  perfect.  And  thereby  hav- 
ing been  made  perfect  He  became  unto  all  them 
that  obey  Him  the  author  of  eternal  salvation." 
Heredity  shows  that  men  suffer  on  account  of 
sin.  Even  God  suffers  on  account  of  sin,  and 
both  His  suffering  and  men's  suffering  is  a 
means  by  which  to  overcome  and  banish  sin. 

The  doctrine  of  transmigration  is  inconsistent 
with  the  doctrine  of  mercy.  Transmigration  is 
a  system  of  impersonal,  inexorable  law.  But 
some  phases  of  Hinduism  which  formulate  a  doc- 
trine of  mercy  show  that  transmigration  does 
not  meet  the  needs  of  the  human  heart  which 
shows  mercy  to   feUowmen  and  which   cannot 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      183 

avoid  the  belief  that  the  power  who  rules  men 
will  also  show  them  mercy.  Only  so  low  is  the 
sense  of  sin  and  so  strange  is  the  mercy,  that 
even  taking  the  name  of  God  and  bathing  in 
sacred  streams  will  wash  away  all  sins  according 
to  the  teachings  of  some  types  of  Hinduism. 
Again,  transmigration  is  opposed  to  the  law  of 
development  which  modern  thought  posits  as 
universal.  Transmigration  teaches  that  for 
some  demerit  in  some  birth  a  man  may  have  to 
go  back  and  become  a  mineral,  or  a  vegetable, 
or  an  animal.  Modem  thought  teaches  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  existence  of  every  soul.  Trans- 
migration assumes  the  same,  but  it  fails  in  the 
very  point  where  it  could  unquestionably  estab- 
lish itself,  if  it  were  true,  viz.,  in  experience; 
because  the  individual  soul  which  may  have  been 
through  a  thousand  states  of  existence  before  it 
came  into  its  present  body  in  this  world  remem- 
bers nothing  in  its  previous  states  of  existence, 
as  it  should  have  done.  So  that  the  doctrine 
of  transmigration  is  a  mere  assumption,  and  an 
unphilosophical  one  at  that.  Moreover,  while 
seeking  to  satisfy  the  claim  of  justice  in  ac- 
counting for  inequalities  and  evil  in  this  world 


184     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

as  a  consequence  of  wrong-doing  in  a  previous 
life,  it  is  most  unjust,  for  it  claims  to  make  men 
suffer  for  wrong  which  they  do  not  know  and 
cannot  know  that  they  have  done.  The  human 
heart  necessarily  revolts  against  punishing  any- 
one for  assumed  wrong  which  he  does  not  know 
and  cannot  know  that  he  has  done.  And  still 
worse  is  it  that  transmigration  is  in  no  way 
remedial.  It  does  no  good  to  the  sinning  soul. 
It  cannot  show  him  what  wrong  he  has  done  nor 
how  that  wrong  has  worked  evil,  and  so  it  can- 
not make  him  penitent;  and  even  after  making 
him  suffer  in  this  world  it  perhaps  sends  him 
back  to  the  impure  surroundings  in  which  he 
became  impure,  perhaps  to  dwell  in  a  stone,  or 
a  pig,  or  a  crow.  It  is  a  moral  injury  to  men 
to  make  them  believe  that  there  can  be  sin 
with  no  possibility  of  consciousness  of  sinning, 
and  to  impress  fatalism  upon  them,  as  the  doc- 
trine of  transmigration  does.  According  to  that 
creed  the  results  of  unknown  deeds  are  inevitable, 
while  a  man  has  neither  ability  to  do  differently 
nor  consolation  amid  bereavement  and  trials  for 
which  he  knows  that  he  is  not  personally  respon- 
sible.   So  transmigration  offers  no  hope  for  this 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      185 

world  or  for  the  next.  One  illustration  of  the 
cruel  form  of  the  doctrine  is  seen  in  the  sorrows 
and  perplexities  which  millions  and  millions  of 
helpless  widows  have  for  many  generations  suf- 
fered, because  they  were  charged  by  the  fami- 
lies of  their  husbands,  and  were  often  believed 
by  themselves,  to  have  been  the  cause  of  the 
death  of  their  husbands  on  account  of  their  own 
sins  in  a  former  life. 

In  contrast  with  this  needless,  injurious,  un- 
scrupulous theory,  there  comes  into  greater  re- 
lief the  Christian  doctrine  of  a  holy  and  living 
Father,  who  seeks  both  by  the  working  of  the 
law  of  retribution  and  by  the  redeeming  power 
of  suffering  to  change  the  desire  and  character 
of  the  sinning  soul,  by  holding  up  new  ideals 
and  by  granting  power  to  overcome  the  defects 
of  the  past.  According  to  the  Christian  doc- 
trine, "  not  by  being  born  again  into  some  sin- 
ful world,  but  by  being  born  anew,  here  and 
now,  through  the  divine  Spirit  does  the  soul 
rise  to  a  higher  and  purer  life."  Not  by  meta- 
physical union  with  an  impersonal  and  supreme 
It,  but  by  spiritual  union  with  a  personal  God, 
and  thus  by  becoming  in  its  measure  like  God 


186     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

is  the  full  development  of  the  soul  to  be  at- 
tained according  to  Christian  teaching. 

The  Hindu  word  for  union  with  the  Supreme 
is  "  Yoga."  While  meditation  and  concen- 
tration of  thought  is  the  highest  way  to 
secure  Yoga,  yet  austerities  and  self-repression 
are  taught  to  be  the  principal  way  by  which 
concentration  of  thought  can  be  secured.  So 
strange  have  been  the  teachings  of  Hinduism 
in  regard  to  the  method  of  Yoga  that,  if  thor- 
oughly followed,  those  efforts  result  in  idiocy. 
They  are  thus  described  by  one  who  has  long 
lived  in  India.  "  Yoga  is  a  state  of  perfect 
hibernation,  in  which  a  Yogi  is  insensible  to 
heat  and  cold,  to  pleasure  and  pain.  .  .  . 
It  is  a  total  suspension  of  the  function  of  res- 
piration and  circulation."  That  is,  it  is  finally 
a  state  of  practical  unconsciousness.  But  such 
a  union  with  the  Supreme  is  not  to  develop  one's 
self  to  the  utmost,  but  to  extinguish  one's  self  to 
the  utmost.  Moreover,  the  result  to  be  gained 
is  some  assumed  benefit  to  the  individual  him- 
self. In  no  wise  is  it  to  make  the  individual  help- 
ful to  others.  So  that,  as  has  been  said,  the 
Hindu  asks,  "  What  shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit 


CHRISTIANITY   AND    HINDUISM      187 

personal  extinction  of  life? "  The  Christian 
asks,  "  What  shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eter- 
nal life?  "  Christ  said,  "  I  am  come  that  men 
might  have  life  and  might  have  it  abun- 
dantly." 

Comparison  between  Hinduism  and  Christian- 
ity leads  to  the  final  contrast  that  in  Christian- 
ity the  knowledge  of  God  is  for  all  men  by  a 
way  which  can  be  understood  and  followed  by 
all  men.  All  types  of  popular  Hinduism  make 
the  way  of  salvation  one  of  hard  works,  in  which 
one  gains  his  end  by  piling  up  deeds  of  merit. 
The  Vedantic  or  higher  system  lays  down  the 
most  difficult  process  which  requires  a  knowledge 
of  metaphysical  problems  that  the  unlearned 
masses  can  never  understand  or  follow.  For 
the  many  the  way  of  salvation  is  a  gross,  ma- 
terial way.  For  the  favored  few  the  highest 
way  is  the  way  of  speculation.  And  yet  the 
Hindu  heart  has  responded  to  God's  teaching 
that  neither  by  the  way  of  deeds  nor  by  the 
way  of  knowledge  does  one  come  into  right  rela- 
tions with  God,  but  by  the  way  of  grace  through 
humble  trust  in  Him.  Only  this  way  of  devo- 
tion and  faith  (bhakti)  is  not  accompanied  by 


188     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

that  revelation  of  God  which  Jesus  Christ  has 
made.  As  He  becomes  more  and  more  known 
to  our  Hindu  brother-men  He  meets  that  dim 
sense  of  hope  which  is  satisfied  by  the  Christ. 

There  is  but  one  science  for  the  universe, 
which  we  know  is  and  must  be  true  in  every  land 
and  for  every  people,  whether  they  understand 
it  or  not.  There  cannot  be  one  astronomy  true 
for  India  and  not  for  the  West:  nor  one  geol- 
ogy, nor  one  chemistry,  nor  one  psychology  true 
for  one  part  of  the  world  and  untrue  for  another 
part.  Similarly  because  there  is  only  one  God 
who  is  evermore  the  same,  all-controlling  in 
every  land  and  in  every  human  heart,  there  can 
be  but  one  true  moral  system.  The  fatherhood 
of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man  make  it 
certain  that  there  is  but  one  moral  and  spiritual 
reign,  though  the  embodiment  of  this  reign  will 
vary  in  form.  Religion  deals  with  universal 
problems  relative  to  God  and  man,  and  man's 
duty  to  God  and  other  men.  So  the  universal 
religion  will  be  that  which  treats  all  men  as  the 
children  of  one  God,  who  deals  with  them  on 
the  same  principle.  But  the  universal  religion 
will  be  one  of  universal  principles,  not  one  of 


CHRISTIANITY    AND    HINDUISM      189 

rules.  It  will  recognize  that  men  must  differ 
and  should  differ  on  points  of  speculation,  on 
ceremonials,  and  rituals.  If,  as  we  believe, 
Christianity  is  the  fullest  interpretation  of  uni- 
versal religion  which  has  yet  been  made,  and 
if  it  is  a  growing  religion  in  which  there  is  room 
for  all  fuller  knowledge  that  may  come  to  man- 
kind, and  is  one  which  adapts  itself  to  various 
races  and  individuals  according  to  their  indi- 
vidual and  varying  needs,  then  Christianity  as 
now  developing  and  to  be  developed  hereafter, 
will  become  the  religion  of  India  and  of  the 
world.  Prof.  E.  W.  Hopkins,  successor  of  Prof. 
W.  D.  Whitney,  of  Yale,  after  visits  to  India 
and  after  exceptional  study  of  the  religions  of 
India,  thus  speaks  in  his  book  on  "  The  Religions 
of  India  " :  "  In  her  own  religions  there  is  no 
hope  for  India,  and  her  best  minds  have  re- 
nounced them.  The  body  of  Hinduism  is  cor- 
rupt, its  soul  is  evil.  As  for  Brahmanism — the 
Brahmanism  that  produced  the  Upanishads — 
the  spirit  is  departed  and  the  form  that  remains 
is  dead."  In  a  spirit  of  fairness  and  sympathy, 
as  Christian  teachers  set  forth  to  the  men  of 
India  how  Jesus  Christ  best  fills  out  those  phases 


190     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

of  truth  through  which  they  have  thought  of 
God  in  the  past,  and  brings  them  into  helpful 
and  fihal  relations  with  Himself,  the  men  of 
India  will  come  to  accept  Him  more  and  more 
as  their  great  Guru.  It  was  the  religious  men 
and  women  of  India  among  others  whom  our 
Lord  had  in  mind  when  He  said,  "  Other  sheep 
I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold:  them  also 
I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice ;  and 
they  shall  become  one  flock,  one  shepherd." 


VI 


WHAT  CHRISTIANITY  HAS  TO  GAIN  FROM 
CONTACT  WITH  THE  EAST 

WHILE  the  sun  draws  the  earth  toward 
itself,  the  earth  also  in  the  ratio  of 
its  bulk  draws  the  sun  toward  itself. 
As  in  physics,  so  in  morals,  it  is  now  known  that 
action  and  reaction  are  ever  at  work ;  that  con- 
tacts of  thought  bring  modifications  in  both 
directions.  The  larger  and  weightier  thought 
of  course  has  the  greater  influence,  but  the  re- 
ceiver of  thought  and  life  also  affects  the  giver. 
That  reaping  follows  sowing,  and  giving  brings 
returns,  is  God's  inspiring  universal  law.  And 
the  more  unselfishly,  and  the  more  without 
thought  or  hope  of  reward  that  one  works  for 
others,  the  larger  and  more  blessed  his  reward. 
"  Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good 
measure,  pressed  down,  shaken  together,  run- 
ning over  shall  they  give  into  your  bosom." 
The  enemy  has  sometimes  sown  tares.  But  as 
Christianity  has  been  a  sower  of  the  good  seed 
191 


192    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

of  spiritual  truth  and  of  loving  service  to  men, 
so  it  must  in  the  past  have  reaped  and  must 
hereafter  reap  bountifully.  It  has  given  some 
of  its  best  men  and  women  from  the  very  first 
to  take  to  others  its  own  best  possession,  the 
truth  and  love  of  God  as  revealed  in  Jesus 
Christ.  It  has  spent  immense  labor  in  translat- 
ing the  Bible  into  the  manifold  tongues  of  earth. 
It  has  cared  for  the  bodies,  as  well  as  the  spirits, 
of  God's  children.  It  has  provided  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  educational  opportunities  for  the 
minds  of  non-Christian  fcllowmen.  We  can  see 
from  the  past  some  of  the  blessings  which  have 
come  to  Christianity  through  missionary  contact 
with  other  faiths.  We  can  forecast  some  bless- 
ings which  are  still  to  come.  Contact  with 
various  peoples  through  missionary  activity  has 
always  brought  to  the  church  enlargement  in 
thought,  in  sympathy,  and  in  joy.  Enlargement 
in  all  directions  to  the  uttermost  capacity  is 
necessary  for  its  universality.  Because  Chris- 
tianity is  a  growing  religion  and  thereby  has 
fitness  to  meet  the  universal  needs  of  all  men 
it  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  principal  missionary 
religion  of  the  world. 


CONTACT   WITH    THE    EAST    193 

Consider  how  at  the  very  outset  the  contact 
of  Christianity  with  non-Christians  resulted  in 
an  enlargement  of  vision.  While  the  earliest 
Christians  recognized  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Mes- 
siah, they  had  the  contracted  idea  of  all  Jews 
that  salvation  is  of  the  Jews  and  for  the  Jews. 
That  narrow  belief  could  not  have  been  enlarged 
in  any  way  save  through  the  logic  of  missionary 
activity.  Christ  had  taught  His  disciples  that 
He  was  to  be  the  founder  of  a  universal  faith 
and  had  bidden  them  carry  the  Gospel  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  But  none  of  these 
teachings  had  been  apprehended  by  the  disciples. 
On  a  housetop  in  Joppa,  Peter  had  seen  the 
vision  by  which  God  tried  to  teach  him  that 
He  had  spiritual  children  other  than  Jews,  whom 
He  accepted  and  whom  He  wished  to  bless.  But 
Peter  did  not  and  could  not  understand  the 
vision  till  the  exigency  of  missionary  service 
actually  brought  him  into  contact  with  the  de- 
vout non-Christian.  Then  only  he  received 
through  experience  an  understanding  of  the 
enlarging  truth  which  an  intellectual  vision  had 
not  been  able  to  give.  When  the  apostles  and 
brethren  that  were  in  Jerusalem  heard  this  news, 


194    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

instead  of  praising  God  they  contended  with 
Peter  for  having  lived  up  to  his  vision.  Though 
his  report  of  the  whole  circumstance  partly  sat- 
isfied them,  it  was  not  entirely  conclusive  to  the 
Jerusalem  church,  for  when  a  Christian  move- 
ment took  place  at  Antioch  there  was  great 
opposition  to  it  from  the  parent  church.  Again 
the  only  evidence  that  stopped  this  accusation 
was  the  testimony  of  Peter  from  his  experience 
as  a  missionary.  Even  then  how  little  that 
Jerusalem  church  and  its  leader,  James,  realized 
the  spirit  of  the  new  Christian  dispensation  is 
illustrated  by  the  strangely  narrow  conditions 
which  were  enjoined  upon  the  Gentile  Christians 
as  essential  to  their  admission  to  the  universal 
and  spiritual  religion.  Of  the  four  conditions 
laid  down  three  would  not  now  be  thought  of 
in  a  letter  from  a  missionary  society  to  a  com- 
munity in  a  foreign  land  which  was  wishing  to 
come  into  Christian  fellowship,  viz.,  first,  that 
the  new  converts  must  never  purchase  or  use 
things  bought  in  a  market  which  might  pre- 
viously have  been  offered  to  idols ;  second,  must 
not  use  blood;  and,  third,  must  not  eat  things 
strangled.     The  fourth  was  the  only  condition 


CONTACT   WITH    THE    EAST    195 

which  has  a  universal  ethical  character,  viz., 
that  the  new  converts  must  abstain  from  forni- 
cation. Still  again  it  was  the  conclusiveness 
of  a  visit  of  Gentiles  from  Cyprus  and  Cyrene 
who  had  come  to  accept  Jesus  as  Lord  that 
probably  led  Barnabas  to  get  an  enlarged  under- 
standing of  the  scope  of  Christianity  and  led 
him  to  become  a  missionary.  Preeminently  it 
was  missionary  work  which  helped  the  conserva- 
tive Saul  to  become  the  interpreter  of  Christian- 
ity as  the  universal  religion.  Until  he  had  been 
induced  by  Barnabas  to  leave  Tarsus  for  mis- 
sionary work  at  Antioch,  there  is  little  to  show 
that  Paul  had  come  to  understand  the  univer- 
sality of  the  Christian  evangel.  But  when  the 
exigencies  of  the  situation  required  him  to  teach 
and  act,  then  in  a  masterly  way  he  realized  and 
expounded  that  in  Christ  there  can  be  neither 
Greek  nor  Jew,  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision, 
barbarian  nor  Scythian,  bondman  nor  freedman ; 
for  in  Christ  Jesus  those  who  once  were  afar  off 
are  made  nigh,  for  He  is  their  peace ;  He  made 
both  one,  and  broke  down  the  middle  wall  of 
partition ;  that  through  Him  all  men  might  have 
access   in   one   Spirit  unto   the   faith.    It  weus 


196     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

through  the  implications  and  requirements  of 
missionary  work  that  Paul  was  made  the  first 
great  interpreter  of  Christ  as  the  reconciler  of 
all  men  to  God,  and  therefore  of  Christianity 
as  necessarily  the  universal  religion.  And  the 
enlargement  which  came  to  him  was  not  only 
intellectual  breadth  of  vision,  but  increase  of 
sympathy,  of  tact,  of  courage,  and  of  indom- 
itable perseverance  in  the  advocacy  and  in  the 
spread  of  Christian  truth.  It  is  probable  that 
had  some  "  pent-up  Utica  "  like  Tarsus  retained 
him,  the  history  of  Christianity  would  have  been 
far  different.  The  world  might  have  had  to 
wait  long  for  an  interpreter  of  the  universality 
and  the  liberty  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Through 
missionary  activity  the  same  enlargement  of 
vision  and  of  capacity  came  to  the  Antioch 
church  and  long  made  it  one  of  the  centers  of 
Christian  thought  and  life,  while  the  mother 
church  soon  faded  into  insignificance  because  it 
was  not  a  missionary  body  and  had  not  a  sense 
of  the  universality  of  the  Christian  religion 
and  of  responsibility  for  making  it  universal. 
The  same  result  befell  all  the  non-missionary 
churches  of  apostolic  times. 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST    m 

It  is  a  commonplace  of  church  history  that 
Christianity  has  always  been  greatly  influenced 
by  the  peoples  with  whom  it  has  come  into  con- 
tact. The  Jewish  Christians,  like  all  Jews,  were 
not  philosophical.  But  when  Christian  princi- 
ples came  into  contact  with  the  philosophical 
Greek  world,  how  many  types  of  Christianity 
were  more  or  less  tinged  with  or  controlled  by 
Greek  philosophy.  In  the  New  Testament  writ- 
ings the  Gospel  of  St.  John  is  a  most  striking 
example.  This  fourth  Gospel  is  the  work  of  a 
disciple  under  the  influence  of  the  Alexandrian 
philosophy,  which  interpreted  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  way  most  effective  to  commend 
Him  to  those  who  held  the  eternal  logos  as  the 
principal  means  of  spiritual  revelation.  The 
Alexandrian  school  of  Christian  theology,  which 
under  Clement  and  Origen  was  especially  influ- 
enced by  contact  with  Greek  philosophy,  was 
the  principal  missionary  influence  in  the  third 
century  by  discerning  and  proclaiming  the 
points  of  affinity  between  the  best  utterances 
of  non-Christian  sages  and  the  teachings  of  the 
New  Testament.  Despite  some  fanciful  alle- 
gories and  crudities,  those  early  Christian  phi- 


198    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

losophers  enlarged  the  true  religion  by  attempt- 
ing to  place  it  in  an  intelligible  relation  to  other 
religious  systems,  and  to  God's  purpose  in  the 
whole  movement  of  history.  When  Christianity 
went  into  imperial  Rome,  its  type  of  theology, 
its  mode  of  worship,  and  especially  its  ecclesi- 
astical system  and  methods  were  unavoidably 
and  thoroughly  Romanized.  The  Christianity 
which  went  into  the  Greek  world  had  been  Jew- 
ish. But  a  Greek  environment  developed  the 
phases  and  formative  principles  of  Christ's 
teachings  into  that  type  of  Christianity  which 
is  called  the  Greek  theology  and  the  Greek 
church;  and  on  the  whole,  Christianity  gained 
thereby.  The  Roman  environment  brought  some 
gain  and  some  loss  to  Christianity  by  creating 
that  type  of  our  religion  which  is  called  the 
Latin  theology  and  the  Roman  Church. 

Modem  times  furnish  illustrations  of  the 
same  phenomenon.  What  a  contracted  outlook 
was  held  by  the  Christians  of  Great  Britain 
a  little  over  a  century  ago!  What  a  different 
man  the  missionary  motive  and  missionary 
service  made  of  WilKam  Carey,  the  cobbler! 
What    a    quickening    came    to    the    churches 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST    199 

tlirough  his   going  as   a  missionary  to   India! 
Vision  and  life  came  to  the  man  himself,  and 
to  the  churches  which  sent  him  out.    How  much 
David  Livingstone  gained  in  soul  and  in  influ- 
ence from  his  contact  with  life  among  the  de- 
graded peoples  of  Africa  1    What  would  he  have 
been,   and  what  would  the  churches   of  Great 
Britain  have  lost,  had  he  stayed  in  some  smaU 
sphere  in   Scotland!     In  theology,  as  well  as 
in  sympathy,  that  contact  with  ethnic  princi- 
ples and  faiths  which  came  through  the  modern 
missionary  movement  has  immensely  helped  the 
churches  of  Great  Britain  and  America.     They 
once  largely  held  the  doctrine  of  a  limited  atone- 
ment.    But  as  the  missionary  spirit  spread,  the 
logic  of  the  heart  made  the  churches  at  first 
secretly,  and  then  more  openly,  appreciate  that 
there  are  and  that  there  can  be  no  uncovenanted 
mercies  of  God,  as  had  been  held.     The  vision 
of  the  countless  masses  of  non-Christian  fellow- 
men  going  into  outer  darkness  could  not  con- 
tinue to  be  borne  or  believed.     So  contact  with 
the  people  of  ethnic  faiths  has  been  one  promi- 
nent influence  in  leading  the  advanced  churches 
of   Christendom  to   discard  the   restriction   of 


SOO     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

God's  saving  love  to  those  who  intelligently 
accept  Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord.  Prob- 
ably no  one  thing  now  causes  more  dislike  to 
foreign  missions  among  large  numbers  of  the 
best  Christians  in  evangelical  churches  than  the 
supposition  that  the  average  missionary  believes 
and  teaches  to  non-Christians  that  there  is  no 
salvation  except  for  those  who  definitely  express 
their  faith  in  Christ  as  Saviour.  An  appeal  for 
support  of  missions  on  such  a  score  would  doubt- 
less have  the  opposite  effect,  and  would  kill  mis- 
sionary interest  in  thousands  of  churches  now. 
Contact  of  Christianity  with  the  better  sec- 
tions of  the  non-Christian  world  has  created 
even  in  Christendom  a  higher  and  better  thought 
of  God.  As  Peter's  first  contact  with  a  devout 
non-Christian  made  him  see  and  say,  "  I  am 
finding  out  that  God  is  greater  and  better  than 
I  had  supposed,  for  I  now  perceive  that  God 
is  no  respecter  of  persons ;  but  among  every 
nation  he  that  f  eareth  Him  and  worketh  right- 
eousness is  acceptable  to  Him,"  so  a  large  body 
of  Christians  at  heart  now  believe,  whatever 
the  implications  of  some  old  standards  may  be. 
This  larger  view  of  God  increases,  not  lessens, 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST     201 

the  valuation  of  Christ  as  the  supreme  revelation 
of  God  in  man,  and  the  importance  of  making 
Him  known  to  all  men.  It  increases  the  appre- 
ciation of  the  spiritual  greatness  and  power  of 
Jesus  Christ,  because  He  is  now  recognized  as 
being  the  human  expression  of  the  larger  God. 
An  increased  reverence  for  Christ  comes  through 
seeing  how  the  non-Christian  world  bows  in  rev- 
erence before  Him,  and  by  the  vision  of  Him 
is  drawn  to  bhakti,  i.  e.,  reverential  love  for  Him 
and  for  the  God  whom  He  makes  so  real  and 
near.  Christendom  is  to  get  a  still  greater 
reverence  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  seeing 
how  He  draws  all  men  to  Him,  in  accordance 
with  His  prophetic  word,  "  If  I  be  hfted  up,  I 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  It  would  be  a 
revelation  to  multitudes  in  the  West  if  they 
could  know  how  much  the  words  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  are  read  and  reverenced  and  medi- 
tated on  by  non-Christians  in  India;  and  how 
He  is  loved  and  trusted  and  followed  and  even 
prayed  to  there.  Not  a  few  "  Lives  of  Christ  " 
have  been  written  by  Hindus  who  do  not  call 
themselves  Christians.  "  The  Oriental  Christ," 
by  Pratap  Chundar  Moozoomdar,  is  probably 


gOa     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

the  best  known  of  these  books.  Reverent  com- 
mentaries on  the  Gospels  of  St.  Matthew  and 
of  St.  John  have  been  recently  written  by  a 
Hindu  in  Ceylon  named  Parananda.  The  book 
entitled,  "  Precepts  of  Jesus,"  written  so  long 
ago  as  1820  by  the  founder  of  the  Brahma 
Samaj,  Rajah  Rammohun  Roy,  was  given  to 
the  Hindus  by  that  gifted  theistic  reformer  be- 
cause he  said  that  the  moral  code  of  the  New 
Testament  and  the  teachings  of  Jesus  were  the 
best  he  knew.  He  even  studied  Hebrew  and 
Greek  in  order  that  he  might  satisfy  himself 
that  he  rightly  understood  the  teachings  of  the 
spiritual  leader  of  Christendom.  The  most 
gifted  and  influential  Hindu  of  the  immediate 
past.  Justice  M.  G.  Ranade,  told  me  that  one 
principal  pursuit  of  his  had  been  the  study  of 
what  had  made  Paul  the  man  he  was.  Mr.  Ran- 
ade did  not  teU  me  what  the  conclusion  of  his 
study  had  been,  but  it  seems  inevitable  that  a 
man  of  his  acumen  and  judicial  habits  could  not 
have  failed  to  see  that  the  two  things  which  had 
made  Paul  the  man  whose  writings  have  unques- 
tionably influenced  the  world  more  than  the  writ- 
ings of  any  other  man,  were,  first,  the  vision 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST     203 

of    Christ,    and,    second,    his    own    missionary 
service. 

As  the  West  comes  more  fully  to  know  the 
history  of  the  ethnic  faiths,  it  will  more  and 
more  see  that  those  faiths  are  earlier  types  from 
which  Christianity  has  been  exempt,  or  above 
which  it  has  been  gradually  raised.  Take,  for 
example,  the  whole  theory  and  practice  of 
sacrifice.  Not  even  in  the  religion  of  Israel  was 
there  so  much  required  by  sacrifice  as  in  the  reli- 
gious development  of  Hinduism.  There  was  a 
time  when  the  altars  and  temples  of  India  ran 
with  blood.  Even  human  sacrifice,  as  well  as  the 
sacrifice  of  the  nobler  animals,  such  as  the  horse 
and  the  cow,  were  more  or  less  required.  But 
under  God's  continual  teaching  of  His  Indian 
children,  the  grosser  sacrificial  system  has 
largely  passed  away.  There  seems  to  have  come, 
first  through  Buddhism,  a  very  great  restraint 
to  all  kinds  of  animal  sacrifice ;  and  at  present 
only  in  comparatively  few  places  and  to  a  very 
limited  extent  are  animal  sacrifices  practiced  in 
India.  Does  not  this  plain,  historical  fact  show 
how  God  is  confirming  by  new  and  vivid  illustra- 
tions the  great  Christian  revelation  that  God 


204     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Himself  makes  the  supreme  sacrifice  for  men? 
Instead  of  asking  them  for  a  sacrifice  to  appease 
Him,  the  only  sacrifice  which  He  desires  from 
His  human  children  is  the  sacrifice  of  loving 
service  for  brother-men. 

I  believe  that  the  contact  of  the  East  with 
Christianity  will  enrich  the  apprehension  of  God 
in  the  West.  In  India,  when  anyone  wishes  to 
express  aflPection  and  trust  toward  one  who 
is  above  him,  be  it  man  or  woman,  it  is  common 
to  say  to  such,  "  You  are  my  father  and  mother." 
It  does  not  seem  enough  to  say,  "  You  are  my 
father,"  or  "  You  are  my  mother."  It  Is  felt 
that  full  appreciation  of  love,  and  tenderness, 
and  power  from  and  toward  such  a  benefactor 
can  only  be  expressed  by  calling  him  or  her 
both  father  and  mother.  A  similar  habit  of 
devout  and  grateful  worship  in  India  is  to  call 
God  both  father  and  mother.  This  is  frequent  in 
the  ahhangs  or  lyrics  of  Tukaram,  the  popular 
religious  poet  of  western  India.  The  Roman 
Catholic  practice  of  reverence  for  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  almost  like  reverence  for  a  divine  being, 
shows  a  somewhat  similar  feeling  in  the  human 
heart  of  many  in  the  West.     It  may  be  that 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST     205 

some  of  the  men  and  women  and  children  of 
Christendom,  too,  may  find  enrichment  in  their 
thought  and  apprehension  of  God  and  in  com- 
munion with  Him  by  thinking  and  speaking  of 
Him  as  "  Father  and  Mother." 

Contact  of  Christianity  with  the  peoples  of 
the  East  is  going  to  enrich  Christianity  by 
showing  that  the  evidence  of  spiritual  truth  is 
not  so  dependent  on  history  as  Christians  of 
the  West  have  been  inclined  to  believe.  Unques- 
tionably the  East  is  weak  in  appreciation  of 
the  valuation  of  historical  evidence.  This  char- 
acteristic deficiency  has  over  and  over  again  led 
them  into  accepting  the  unreal  for  the  real, 
and  into  following  moral  will-o'-the-wisps.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  West  is  unquestionably  weak 
in  over-emphasizing  the  importance  of  histor- 
icity as  almost  the  only  evidence  of  truth.  But 
the  most  accurate  account  of  the  past  can  only 
show  us  what  has  been,  not  what  may  be  or 
should  be.  Necessary  and  valuable  as  history 
is,  do  we  go  to  chroniclers  or  to  poets  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  spiritual  laws  and  the  beau- 
ties and  possibilities  of  spiritual  things?  By 
historical  evidence  the  highest  Christianity  can- 


206     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

not  be  verified.  Some  Christians  question  the 
historicity  of  the  virgin  birth  of  Jesus.  Sup- 
pose that  doctrine  to  be  absolutely  and  unlm- 
peachably  accepted  as  history,  how  much  does 
that  add  to  the  spiritual  helpfulness  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ?  The  Gospels  of  St.  Mark 
and  St.  John  and  the  letters  of  St.  Paul  make 
no  allusion  to  it,  and  therefore  do  not  depend 
on  it.  Year  by  year  Christians  are  finding  that 
scores  of  points  once  supposed  to  be  indubitably 
historical  are  not  such.  Yet  instead  of  weak- 
ening, this  experience  has  often  increased,  the 
spiritual  value  of  Christianity.  Will  not  con- 
tact with  ethnic  faiths  in  which  the  ideal  is  a 
large  part  of  the  evidence  on  which  Orientals 
rely  increase  the  capacity  and  readiness  of 
Christians  in  the  West  to  use  the  spiritual  imag- 
ination for  the  comprehension  of  spiritual 
things?  The  ideal  is  the  best  thing  in  the 
highest  realm.  It  is  the  ideal  which  points  the 
way  upward.  Faith  Is  seeing  the  invisible  ideal 
and  acting  as  if  it  were  true.  In  the  parable 
of  Abraham  and  Lazarus,  Jesus  Christ  said  that 
if  men  would  not  believe  prophets,  i.  e.,  those 
who  announce  spiritual  things  which  they  have 


CONTACT   WITH    THE    EAST    S07 

apprehended,  then  they  will  not  believe  even 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead.  For  his  time 
and  purpose  the  apostle  Paul  rightly  empha- 
sized the  great  importance  of  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ.  In  1883,  in  company  with 
some  missionaries  in  Calcutta  I  invited  the  late 
Keshab  Chundar  Sen  to  a  conference,  in  which 
he  frankly  spoke  to  us  about  his  position  in 
regard  to  some  points  in  the  Christian  belief. 
He  said  that  he  felt  absolutely  sure  that  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead.  He  did  not 
know  and  did  not  care  whether  His  body  also 
rose  or  not.  And  he  said  that  Hindus  as  a 
whole  would  never  care.  He  also  implied  that 
he  did  not  know  or  care  whether  the  Lord  Jesus 
is  metaphysically  divine  or  not.  He  reverenced 
and  loved  and  followed  Him  because  He  was 
ethically  and  spiritually  divine.  On  these 
grounds  Keshab  said  that  the  object  of  his  life 
was  to  lead  his  countrymen  to  Christ.  It  is 
the  character  of  Christ,  and  the  ideal  quality 
of  His  teachings,  not  His  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  which  draws  the  East  toward  Him. 
When  the  East  says  that  it  is  satisfied  that  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  rose  and  does  not  care  whether 


208     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

His  body  rose  or  not,  and  that  through  such 
confidence  it  accepts  Him  as  its  spiritual  Guide, 
the  one  who  has  brought  hght  and  immortality 
to  life  through  the  Gospels,  men  in  the  West 
may  come  to  see  that  the  historicity  of  the 
physical  resurrection  of  Jesus  is  not  as  essen- 
tial to  Christianity  as  has  sometimes  been 
supposed. 

Even  in  the  hard-headed  West,  metaphysics 
in  the  long  run  is  greater  than  physics.  Though 
blunter  and  more  material  methods  of  demon- 
stration sometimes  seem  to  have  put  metaphysics 
aside,  the  latter  has  a  way  of  luring  men  to 
depend  on  it.  Just  now  in  the  realm  of  thought 
metaphysics  is  receiving  much  more  attention 
and  valuation  than  half  a  generation  ago.  So 
when  the  East,  with  its  gift  for  metaphysics, 
joins  the  West,  with  its  gift  for  history,  we 
may  expect  in  the  Church  become  universal 
among  all  races  that  balanced  judgment  which 
will  give  an  estimate  and  interpretation  of  spir- 
itual things  to  which  the  Occidental  Church  has 
not  yet  attained.  How  strange  to  the  Eastern 
mind,  even  before  it  wholly  bows  before  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  its  spiritual  Master,  is  the 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST     209 

marked  tendency  in  some  quarters  by  the  most 
exact,  critical,  and  historical  study,  to  limit 
to  that  which  is  indubitably  shown  by  documents 
to  have  been  spoken  by  Jesus  the  acceptance 
of  anything  as  truly  from  Him  and  as  legiti- 
mately expressing  Him  and  His  teaching!  The 
"  historical  Christ  "  has  become  a  phrase  of  con- 
siderable usage.  It  is  assumed  that  only  from 
those  words  which  the  historical  Christ  certainly 
spoke  can  we  ascertain  what  is  Christian.  The 
spiritual  interpretations  of  their  Master  by  His 
greatest  disciples,  such  as  St.  Paul  and  the 
writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  are  discounted  by 
a  class  of  thinkers.  But  Christianity  will  never 
become  a  universal  religion  on  such  a  basis  as 
that.  If  Greek  philosophy  and  metaphysics 
molded  that  type  of  Christianity  which  has 
always  controlled  the  Greek  section  of  the 
church,  and  if  Greek  theology  is  now  helping 
the  Western  Church  to  modify  the  Latin  theol- 
ogy which  was  so  long  dominant,  then  Oriental 
ways  of  thinking  are  going  still  more  to  influ- 
ence and  to  fertilize  the  thinking  and  the  life 
of  Christendom  in  the  West. 

One  of  the  glaring  weaknesses  of  Christen- 


^10     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

dom  has  been  the  tendency  to  reserve  certain 
spheres  of  life  for  religion  and  to  term  the  rest 
secular.  In  some  ethnic  faiths,  certainly  in 
Hinduism,  there  has  been  no  such  weakness. 
Every  least  detail  of  thought  and  life  from 
before  the  birth  till  after  the  death  of  the  indi- 
vidual has  been  rightly  deemed  as  something 
rehgious.  Also  religion  is  there  considered  not 
mainly  a  matter  of  individual  concern:  it  is 
preeminently  a  social  consideration.  Herein  is 
one  chief  power  of  caste.  Caste  is  practically 
the  living  religion  of  India.  And  it  exercises 
power  because  as  religion  it  expresses  the  right 
relation  between  man  and  the  Supreme,  and 
between  man  and  man.  So  it  masterfully  con- 
trols the  everyday  life  of  Hindus.  Contact  with 
such  ethnic  faiths  is  going  to  strengthen  the 
tendency  among  Western  Christians  to  make 
religion  here  include  every  department  of  life 
and  every  feature  of  every  department.  It  will 
be  a  sound  element  of  the  "  Back-to-Christ " 
movement  when  we  believe  as  well  as  say, 
"  Whether  ye  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye 
do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  Such  a  belief 
and  practice  is  essential  for  making  Christian- 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST    Sll 

ity  universal:  universal  in  its  application  to 
every  single  detail  of  the  life  of  every  man  as 
well  as  of  all  men  everywhere. 

Again,  in  the  West  there  is  a  tendency  to 
esteem  the  substance  of  any  matter,  entirely 
apart  from  its  form,  as  the  only  important  con- 
sideration. In  the  East,  form  is  deemed  an 
essential  part  of  every  matter.  It  is  not  enough 
to  have  a  good  thing.  Its  goodness  depends 
considerably  on  the  way  in  which  it  is  admin- 
istered and  is  received.  An  Oriental  monarch 
once  had  a  dream  and  asked  one  of  his  wise 
men  to  interpret  the  dream.  The  man  said, 
"  The  meaning  of  your  dream  is  this :  Your 
children  will  die,  and  then  you  will  die."  This 
blunt  and  untactful  reference  to  the  possibihty 
of  death  caused  the  monarch  to  order  the  imme- 
diate beheading  of  that  interpreter.  He  then 
asked  another  courtier  for  the  interpretation 
of  the  dream,  who  said,  "  The  meaning  of  your 
Majesty's  dream  is  this:  Your  Majesty  will 
survive  his  children."  This  interpreter  received 
reward  and  honor.  The  story  is  not  without 
significance  for  men  in  the  West.  Will  not 
contact  with  peoples  and  faiths   of  the  East 


Sia     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

strengthen  a  conviction  in  Christendom  that  re- 
finement and  appreciation  of  the  best  way  of 
doing  things  is  a  necessary  part  of  true  religion. 
What  is  culture  which  people  in  the  West  are 
coming  more  and  more  to  value,  except  a  higher 
and  higher  valuation  of  the  importance  of  doing 
everything  in  the  best  way?  The  principal 
thing  which  Orientals  dislike  in  Occidentals  is 
their  bluntness  in  the  relations  of  life ;  their  oc- 
casional rudeness  through  disregard  of  those 
civilities  and  courtesies  which  constitute  one 
chief  charm  of  life.  Even  in  America  the  word 
Christian  is  by  no  means  a  synonym  for  gentle- 
man. This  weakness  makes  some  people  in  some 
cultured  but  not  deeply  religious  circles  seek 
more  to  be  gentlemen  than  Christians  and 
thereby  to  plume  themselves  on  being  all  that 
they  ought  to  be.  Contact  of  Christianity  with 
the  ethnic  peoples  and  faiths  will  bring  to 
Western  Christianity  an  added  conviction  that 
the  most  courteous  way  of  doing  things  is  an 
important  virtue,  pleasing  to  God,  and  is  the 
truly  Christian  way  of  manifesting  those  rela- 
tions to  brother-men  which  are  according  to 
the  spirit  of  Christ. 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST    ^15 

Allied  to  this  point  is  the  difference  of  esti- 
mate and  of  development  of  the  virtue  of  rever- 
ence in  Christendom  and  among  Eastern  peo- 
ples. Who  does  not  know  that  the  civilization  of 
the  West  is  weak  in  regard  to  appreciating  and 
developing  this  high  quality  on  which  so  much 
depends  in  the  relations  of  the  family,  of  the 
school,  and  of  the  whole  framework  of  society, 
as  well  as  of  religion?  Here  the  imagination 
has  not  been  properly  cultivated.  There  is  no 
adequate  veneration  for  the  old  and  for  the 
past.  Our  places  of  worship  can  be  entered 
with  hats  on  the  head.  Everyone  feels  author- 
ized and  able  to  criticise  every  opinion  which 
he  hears,  and  to  criticise  every  person  whom  he 
meets  or  knows  about.  Perhaps  among  the 
Chinese  the  feeling  of  veneration  for  the  past, 
for  ancestors  and  elders,  has  the  highest  devel- 
opment. But  it  is  a  sterling  virtue  also  in  Japan 
and  in  India.  The  Christian  religion  is  not 
the  cause  of  this  deficiency  in  the  West.  We 
are  weak  because  we  are  not  as  Christian  as 
we  ought  to  be.  Yet  probably  even  in  the  New 
Testament  reverence  is  not  so  much  dwelt  on 
as   in   some   non-Christian    sacred   books.     "  A 


^14     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Hindu  philosopher,  casting  a  glance  at  a  beau- 
tiful flower,  with  which  he  might  worship  his 
deity,  asks,  '  How  can  I  bring  myself  to  pluck 
it,  seeing  that  it  is  Thyself  that  is  there  ?  '  " 
He  connects  the  flower  with  his  god. 

The  Hindu  type  of  religion  is  meditative 
and  reflective.  The  Western  type  is  active  and 
seeks  to  serve  God  by  serving  one's  fellowmen. 
It  is  a  splendid  type,  which  makes  the  wilder- 
ness to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  The  Orient 
greatly  needs  to  copy  and  assimilate  the  Occi- 
dental type  of  true  piety.  But  equally  does 
the  West  need  to  copy  the  quiet,  thoughtful, 
meditative  type  of  the  East.  It  can  best  be 
accomplished  through  contact  with  the  East. 
In  theory  the  Christian  Church  places  the  char- 
acter of  Mary  before  that  of  Martha :  in  prac- 
tice it  Uves  as  if  Martha,  not  Mary,  had  chosen 
the  better  part. 

As  Christianity  has  developed  in  the  West, 
it  has  been  a  mixture  of  Christian  practices  with 
some  non-Christian  ideas  of  the  peoples  who 
accepted  it.  Its  leaders  are  more  and  more 
seeking  to  know  its  essentials;  to  recognize  at 
their  true  worth  things   that   are   not   funda- 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST    215 

mental,  and  to  cast  out  those  elements  which 
are  inconsistent  with  the  simplicity  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Dogmatism  about  denomina- 
tional pecuharities  and  ecclesiastical  arrange- 
ments and  non-essentials  is  being  counted  as 
at  variance  with  the  Christian  spirit.  Contact 
with  ethnic  faiths  will,  through  comparison  and 
differentiation,  help  in  securing  an  analysis  of 
the  very  essence  of  Christianity,  and  in  under- 
standing that  the  essentials  of  the  Christian 
religion  are  certain  spiritual  and  ethical  con- 
ceptions of  God  and  of  man,  especially  as  re- 
vealed by  Jesus,  and  certain  principles  and 
motives  of  action  which  enable  men  to  attain 
to  that  character  which  the  character  of  God 
calls  for.  Under  past  historical  conditions, 
with  certain  philosophical  pre-suppositions  there 
have  been  produced  certain  institutions  and 
theologies  which  have  borne  the  Christian  name. 
Growing  knowledge  of  non-Christian  religions 
is  showing  that,  as  under  different  sociological 
conditions  and  on  different  philosophical  as- 
sumptions, certain  non-Christian  institutions 
and  theologies  have  been  produced,  so,  even 
after  contact  with  Christianity  under  the  socio- 


216    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

logical  conditions  and  the  philosophical  assump- 
tions of  the  Orient,  somewhat  different  types  of 
Christianity  will  be  developed  there.  A  com- 
bination of  all  types  can  alone  give  complete 
universality  to  Christianity.  Christianity  is  a 
growing  religion,  which  is  now  the  religion  of 
the  more  advanced  peoples  and  which  has  for 
its  inspiring  base  the  belief  in  the  fatherhood  of 
God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  Therefore  it 
has  the  inspiring  missionary  motive  of  brother- 
liness  and  of  responsibility,  both  of  imparting 
to  all  men  that  which  it  has  received  from  God, 
and  of  receiving  from  all  men  that  which  God  has 
taught  them.  Therefore  It  must  be  and  will 
be  universalized.  As  it  will  impart  to  men  of 
other  faiths  the  things  of  supremest  value  which 
it  has  received,  it  will  receive  from  them  what- 
ever they  may  have  to  give. 

The  life  has  gone  out  of  other  religions. 
Hear  the  words  of  a  Hindu  leader  looking  at 
the  condition  of  his  own  religion :  "  There  Is 
no  more  tragic  event  under  the  sun  than  the 
death  of  a  nation,  and  this  consists  in  the  de- 
struction of  peoples  and  Institutions  and  national 
peculiarities  that  give  It  an  Individual  character. 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST     217 

This  awful  tragedy  is  now  going  on  in  India. 
The  old  religion  is  dying,  the  old  morality  is 
dying;  the  bonds  of  custom  and  tradition, 
which  are  the  bones  and  sinews  of  the  social  or- 
ganism, are  dissolving ;  there  is  death  and  decom- 
position all  around."  When  the  old  Greek  and 
Roman  religions  were  similarly  dying,  the  first 
great  Christian  missionary  made  their  best  ele- 
ments live  again  in  higher  Christian  forms,  and 
thus  enabled  them  to  do  even  more  for  the  world 
than  they  had  done  before.  The  Greek  thinkers 
had  sought  for  truth,  for  beauty,  for  freedom, 
and  for  the  highest  ideals  of  life.  As  these 
nations  and  philosophies  were  passing  away, 
Paul,  by  his  interpretation  of  Christ  as  their 
highest  fulfillment,  made  their  spirit  live  forever 
by  passing  them  into  those  Christian  institutions 
and  theologies  which  had  the  dynamic  of  Christ 
in  them.  Without  Christ,  those  ideals  would  not 
have  been  fulfilled.  Without  those  ideals,  the 
Christianity  of  Paul  and  of  the  whole  church 
would  not  have  been  as  rich  as  it  became.  In  his 
letter  to  the  Romans,  Paul  rightly  taught  that 
even  the  Old  Testament  shows  that  national 
blessings  had  been  bestowed  on  the  Jews  that 


218     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

through  them  all  men  might  be  blessed ;  and  that 
every  good  element  in  individual  and  national 
life  attains  perfection  only  when  it  is  caught  up 
in,  and  developed  into,  a  larger  whole.  God  has 
made  of  one  every  nation  of  men  to  dwell  on  all 
the  face  of  the  earth.*  This  does  not  mean  to 
dwell  in  uniformity  of  rite  and  dogma:  but  it 
does  mean  in  unity  of  the  spirit  in  relation 
to  God.  The  history  of  modern  thought  and 
life  under  the  continuous  tutelage  of  God  is  a 
record  of  the  good  and  of  the  permanent,  mixed 
with  the  evil  and  the  transient.  St.  Paul's  ex- 
planation of  the  mystery  by  which  the  good  is 
being  separated  from  the  bad  is  by  God's  revela- 
tion of  that  mystery  as  a  dispensation  of  the 
fullness  of  the  times  by  summing  up  of  all  things 
in  Christ.  All  things  are  to  be  summed  up  in 
Him.  No  good  thing  is  to  be  lost.  In  Him  all 
things  hold  together.  In  Him  all  fullness  be- 
comes permanent.  Bishop  Westcott  has  put  this 
inspiring  assurance  in  the  following  words: 
"  Vast  peoples,  richly  endowed  with  manifold 
gifts,  still  remain  without  the  pale  of  the  faith. 
These  may  even  now  be  being  disciplined  for 
some  future  work.  The  races  of  the  Far  East, 
*  Rev.  A.  Crosthwaite,  in  Hartest  Fields 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST    219 

we  can  hardly  doubt,  will  in  their  season  lay 
open  fresh  depths  of  the  Gospel  which  we  are 
unfitted  to  discover.  Already  there  are  symp- 
toms of  such  a  consummation :  and  when  once  we 
trust  the  simple  apostolic  message,  we  shall  be 
allowed  to  learn  as  we  have  never  yet  done  how 
it  can  take  up  and  transfigure  the  most  different 
forms  of  conduct  and  thought  and  become  more 
glorious  as  it  does  so."  The  author  of  the  Epis- 
tle to  the  Hebrews  expresses  this  hope  by  saying 
that  God  had  foreseen  some  better  things  for 
Christians  of  later  times,  that  without  the  saints 
whom  Christ  is  later  enlightening,  even  the  lead- 
ers of  the  faith  in  the  past  should  not  be  made 
perfect.  And  St.  Paul  says  that  Christ's  work 
of  perfecting  the  saints  will  go  on  till  we  all — 
not  only  all  individuals,  but  all  races — attain 
unto  the  unity  of  the  faith  and  the  knowledge  of 
the  only  God,  unto  full  grown  men,  unto  the 
measure  of  the  fullness  of  Christ.  Bishop  Gore 
expresses  the  same  hope  thus :  "  Each  new  race 
which  is  introduced  into  the  Church  not  only 
itself  receives  the  blessing  of  our  religion,  but 
reacts  upon  it  to  bring  out  new  and  unsuspected 
aspects  and  beauties  in  its  truth  and  influence.    It 


220     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

has  been  so  when  Greeks,  and  Latins,  and  Teu- 
tons, and  Kelts,  and  Slavs  have  each  in  turn  been 
brought  into  the  growing  circle  of  believers. 
How  impoverished  was  the  exhibition  of  Chris- 
tianity which  the  Jews  were  capable  of  giving 
by  themselves!  How  much  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  powder  which  lie  hid  in  Christ  awaited 
the  Greek  intellect,  and  the  Roman  spirit,  and 
the  Teutonic  individuality,  and  the  temper 
and  character  of  the  Kelt  and  Slav,  before 
they  could  leap  into  light!  Can  we  doubt 
that  now  again  not  only  would  Indians,  and 
Japanese,  and  Africans,  and  Chinamen  be  the 
better  for  Christianity,  but  that  Christianity 
would  be  unspeakably  also  richer  for  their 
adhesion — for  the  gifts  which  the  subtlety  of 
India,  and  the  grace  of  Japan,  and  the  silent 
patience  of  China  are  capable  of  bringing  into 
the  city  of  God?  " 

The  true  Christian  position  is  not  that  that 
apprehension  of  Christ  which  has  already  been 
attained  by  any  one  church,  or  any  one  race,  is 
the  full  apprehension  of  all  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  truly  is.  It  is  the  faith  that  as  in  the 
past  God  has  through  His  Son  progressively  re- 


CONTACT    WITH    THE    EAST     221 

vealed  more  and  more  of  Himself,  so  He  will  con- 
tinue to  do  through  the  bringing  of  all  humanity 
into  union  with  that  Son,  and  through  Him  into 
union  with  Himself.  Just  as  in  the  past  the 
various  races  have  in  their  own  way  added  some- 
thing to  the  revelation  of  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ,  so  in  the  future  every  race  will, 
by  its  thought  and  life,  apprehend  and  reveal 
riches  in  Christ  which  the  Western  nations  need 
also  to  apprehend.  I  suppose  that  the  Japanese 
recognize  and  admit  that  the  unexpected  capa- 
city and  power  which  they  are  manifesting  in 
their  present  contest  with  Russia  are  in  some 
measure  due  to  their  contact  with  even  the  par- 
tial Christianity  of  the  West.  And  what  shall 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  prove  to  be 

when 

"  Every  creature,  every  tribe 
On  this  terrestrial  ball, 
To  Christ  all  majesty  ascribe. 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all." 


VII 

THE    SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY 

THERE  is  a  large  number  of  men  in  India 
who  have  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  English 
language  and  who  have  come  somewhat 
into  contact  with  the  current  literature  and 
thought  of  the  West.  The  major  part  of  such 
persons  have  lost  faith  in  the  indigenous  reli- 
gions of  their  country  without  acquiring  in 
their  stead  any  intelligent  and  vital  religious 
thought  and  life  for  themselves.  Some  of  them 
have  read  and  heard  some  of  the  objections  in 
the  West  to  a  part  of  traditional  Christian  the- 
ology. They  easily  imagine  that  there  is  little 
certitude  about  any  Christian  positions.  In 
conversation  with  missionaries  they  would  pre- 
fer to  follow  the  critical  spirit  which  they  have 
acquired  and  through  which  they  have  lost 
confidence  in  their  former  faiths.  They  would 
like  to  discuss  those  Western  objections  to  tra- 
ditional theology  about  which  they  have  some 
hazy    conception.     But    the    wise    missionary 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       225 

knows  that  thought  and  talk  in  this  direc- 
tion are  not  for  the  spiritual  good  of  such  un- 
settled men.  By  race  these  men  are  still  reli- 
gious. He  would  like  to  lead  them  into  per- 
sonal communion  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
through  Him  to  help  them  to  gain  true  spiritual 
life.  In  order  to  do  this  he  should  avoid  refer- 
ence to  those  matters  which  are  the  staple  of 
current  objections  in  the  West.  Otherwise  he 
would  himself  immediately  lead  the  conversation 
on  to  topics  which  his  visitors  would  greedily 
follow.  He  should  confine  himself,  so  far  as 
possible,  to  the  most  simple  and  vital  matters. 
If  he  can  speak  largely  in  the  way  in  which  he 
thinks  that  Christ  Himself  would  direct  the  con- 
versation, he  would  be  following  his  Master. 
The  following  statement  is  an  example  of  the 
way  in  which  I  often  give  to  such  men  the  good 
news  of  life  in  God  through  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

There  are  many  thoughtful  people  in  India 
like  you  who  are  greatly  drawn  to  Jesus  Christ, 
who  recognize  the  beauty  and  power  of  His  hfe 
and  teaching,  who  are  thereby  being  helped  in 
their  own  lives,  who  are  not  following  any  Indian 


^U     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW, 

religion,  who  do  not  consider  themselves  Chris- 
tians, who  are  pei'plexed  by  the  varieties  among 
Christians,  and  who  would  like  to  know  what  is 
the  simple,  essential  thing  in  Christianity.  From 
my  own  experience  and  from  the  testimony  of 
the  best  Christian  literature  and  of  the  best 
Christians  I  will  tell  you  frankly  and  simply 
what  the  essence  of  Christianity  is  and  what 
good  it  is  to  be  a  real  Christian. 

The  first  point  is  that  even  in  Christian  coun- 
tries in  all  branches  of  the  Christian  Church 
there  is  search  for  agreement  as  to  what  is  the 
essential  thing  in  Christianity.  Both  in  Europe 
and  America  conferences  are  constantly  taking 
place  among  members  of  different  denominations, 
articles  are  constantly  appearing  in  the  religious 
press,  asking  what  is  the  characteristic,  indis- 
pensable truth  which  every  Christian  holds  and 
must  hold.  The  best  minds  everywhere  candidly 
say  that  the  essential  thing  in  Christianity  is 
much  less  than  all  the  creed  and  practice  of  any 
branch  of  the  church. 

This  tendency  is  largely  due  to  God's  provi- 
dence in  teaching  His  children  in  many  things 
outside  of  religion.     In  all  science,  in  all  prac- 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       225 

tical  life  men  are  seeking  first  to  know  what  the 
facts  are,  what  the  primal  elements  and  prin- 
ciples are.  Similarly  under  God's  guidance  His 
Christian  children  are  seeking  to  understand 
clearly  what  the  primal  elements  and  principles 
of  Christianity  are.  Theology  is  an  explana- 
tion or  philosophical  statement  of  the  facts 
which  Christianity  presents.  Just  as  the  science 
of  astronomy  is  changing,  not  because  the  facts 
of  astronomy  have  changed,  but  because  new 
facts  are  constantly  becoming  known,  so  the 
science  of  Christian  theology  must  be  modified, 
when  new  religious  facts  become  known,  and 
their  relation  to  old  facts  become  better  under- 
stood. Moreover,  just  as  in  aU  science  an  im- 
portant distinction  is  carefully  made  between 
facts  on  the  one  hand,  and  laws,  doctrines, 
hypotheses  and  so  on  on  the  other  hand,  so  in 
theology  an  important  distinction  is  now  made 
between  the  essential  facts  of  Christianity  and 
the  inferences  from  those  facts,  some  of  which 
are  very  generally  acknowledged  as  Christian 
doctrines,  and  others  of  which  inferences  are 
more  or  less  controverted. 

This  scientific,  careful,  truth-seeking  tendency 


S26     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

is  helping  men  to  recognize  what  is  the  charac- 
teristic essential  thing  in  Christianity.  For 
example,  everyone,  non-Christian  as  well  as 
Christian,  knows  that  there  is  a  book  called  the 
Bible.  That  is  a  fact.  There  have  been  innu- 
merable discussions  over  hom  the  Bible  came  to 
be,  and  with  what  kind  and  degree  of  divine 
assistance  it  was  written.  That  inquiry  is  right. 
Thinking  men  must  have  some  theory  about  all 
important  matters.  But  that  inquiry  is  not 
the  essential  thing  about  the  Bible.  The  essen- 
tial thing  is  what  does  the  Bible  say?  what  facts 
of  religious  significance  does  it  disclose.''  Since 
it  tells  many  wonderful,  helpful  things  about 
God,  all  Christians  believe  that  God  in  some  way 
helped  the  writers  of  the  Bible  in  their  work. 
This  is  the  simplest  position  of  Christianity 
about  the  Bible. 

However,  though  all  Christians  thus  recognize 
the  Bible  as  at  least  the  principal  record  of  many 
most  important  facts  in  the  religious  history  of 
mankind  and  as  written  by  God's  help,  yet  it  is 
not  the  Bible  which  is  the  characteristic,  essential 
thing  in  Christianity.  The  characteristic  thing 
in  Christianity  is  that  which  gives  it  its  name, 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       S^7 

VIZ.,  Christ.  Christ  is  Christianity,  and  the 
supreme  simplicity  of  this  religion  is  that  it  can 
truly  be  so  summed  up.  Hence,  loyalty  to  Christ 
is  the  one  peculiar  requisite  of  the  Christian. 
Therefore,  following  Him,  in  some  way  or  other 
taking  His  help  all  the  time  in  our  lives,  is  being 
a  Christian. 

Now  what  does  loyalty  to  Christ  mean  and 
imply,  and  how  is  it  to  be  carried  out.?  Let  us 
ask  Him.  On  one  occasion  some  women  brought 
their  children  to  Jesus  Christ,  hoping  that  in 
some  way  He  would  help  them.  Christ's  dis- 
ciples, who  up  to  that  time  understood  Him  very 
imperfectly,  imagined  that  such  a  religious 
teacher  would  not  have  much  for  children,  and 
therefore  began  to  drive  away  the  women.  But 
when  Jesus  saw  this  He  was  much  displeased 
and  said,  "  Let  the  children  come  to  me,  because 
of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.  Whoever  does 
not  come  to  God  like  a  little  child  cannot  know 
God  or  be  in  His  kingdom."  This  was  a  charac- 
teristic teaching  of  Christ,  and  it  shows  how 
He  expects  men  now  to  get  acquainted  with 
Him,  and  then  to  become  loyal  to  Him.  The 
childlike  way  of  knowing  anyone  is  not  to  read 


228     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

a  book  about  him  or  read  arguments  about  him, 
but  to  see  him,  hear  him,  go  about  with  him, 
and  by  such  personal  intercourse  to  get  ac- 
quainted, and  then  to  trust  and  love  such  a 
person.  In  other  words  the  childlike  way  is 
the  vital  way,  the  way  of  life,  in  fact,  the  way 
in  which  we  all  truly  come  to  know  any- 
thing. How  can  one  learn  carpentry  and 
get  help  from  some  skillful  carpenter.?  It  is 
essential  to  find  out  from  the  testimony  of  some 
person  or  book  or  paper  that  there  is  such  a 
carpenter,  where  he  Hves,  and  how  others  have 
received  help  from  him.  But  this  is  only  pre- 
liminary. This  alone  would  not  enable  a  young 
man  to  learn  carpentry  from  that  carpenter. 
The  one  simple,  essential  thing  is  to  go  to  that 
carpenter  and  stay  with  him  and  follow  his 
directions.  That  is  the  simple,  vital  way  which 
Christ  always  points  out  as  the  one  by  which  men 
can  get  His  help.  As  before,  so  now  He  always 
says,  "  Come  and  see,"  "  Learn  of  me,"  "  Follow 
me,"  "  Take  my  help."  That  was  the  one  way 
in  which  His  first  disciples  came  to  know  Him 
and  grew  to  be  loyal  to  Him.  The  ordinary 
name  which  they  used  in  speaking  to  Him  and 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       229 

of  Him  was  "  Master,"  i.  e.,  Teacher.  The  only 
name  given  to  His  followers  in  the  four  gospels 
is  "  disciples,"  i.  e.,  scholars.  They  learned 
from  Him  about  Himself  and  many  other  things 
by  associating  with  Him,  seeing  more  and  more 
who  He  was,  and  gradually  they  grew  more  and 
more  loyal  to  Him.  Before  His  death  and  res- 
urrection and  spiritual  presence  they  could  not 
adequately  understand  Him.  But  after  those 
experiences  they  grew  more  and  more  loyal  to 
Him  and  had  higher  and  higher  appreciation  of 
Him. 

We,  too.  In  India  can  get  properly  acquainted 
with  Him  and  become  truly  loyal  to  Him  only  in 
this  same  simple,  vital  way.  At  first  sight  this 
might  seem  impossible  because  He  is  not  physi- 
cally visible  to  men.  But  this  is  not  at  all  so. 
In  fact  there  are  some  special  advantages  which 
we  now  have  over  those  first  disciples. 

In  the  first  place,  we  must  remember  that  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  assure^?  us  not  simply 
that  He  once  rose  from  the  dead — that  alone 
would  be  a  matter  of  small  moment.  The  great, 
the  important  assurance  is  that  He  is  now  alive 
and  ever  wiU  be  alive,  and,  since  He  is  now  in  a 


^30     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

more  spiritual,  glorified  sphere,  it  is  easier  for 
every  man  everywhere  to  associate  with  Him  and 
get  His  help.  In  the  second  place,  we  now  have 
a  much  completer  view  of  Christ  than  those  who 
had  seen  His  physical  form.  We  now  make 
small  account,  as  they  could  not,  of  His  physical 
limitations.  This  absence  of  physical  appear- 
ance aids  us  in  emphasizing  His  spiritual  teach- 
ings and  life.  Moreover,  we  have  those  inter- 
pretations of  Him  which  have  come  from  His 
most  spiritual  followers,  such  as  Paul  and  John 
and  others.  We  have  the  revelation  and  inter- 
pretation of  Him  which  have  come  from  the  best 
experiences  of  His  church  and  from  history. 
All  this  is  a  very  great  help.  Finally,  we  know 
that  the  best  part  of  any  man  is  his  spirit,  L  e,, 
his  thoughts,  his  aspirations,  his  loves.  Physi- 
cal intercourse,  even  with  a  great  man,  is  often 
a  hindrance  to  one's  getting  the  most  help  from 
his  spirit.  The  biographies  of  great  men  fur- 
nish many  illustrations  of  this.  Now  the  New 
Testament  contains  very  few  references  to  the 
body  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  full  of  His  spirit. 
That  is  what  we  want.  And  if  He  is  now  seek- 
ing for  spiritual  intercourse  with  us,  then  witH 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       231 

the  help  of  those  spiritual  revelations  which  are 
In  the  New  Testament  we  can  now  have  spiritual 
fellowship  with  Him,  we  can  learn  who  He  is  for 
us,  how  He  helps,  whether  to  be  loyal  to  Him  or 
not,  and  how. 

It  is  feasible  now  for  you  or  for  any  man  to 
learn  of  Him  In  the  simple,  vital  way  of  personal 
Intercourse.  You  can  yourself  see  how  this  can 
be  done.  The  intercourse  of  the  vast  majority 
of  officials  and  employees  in  India  to-day  Is 
through  writing.  Living  men  who  work  every 
day  under  the  same  roof  impart  and  receive 
directions  mainly  through  writing.  Though 
they  may  see  one  another  with  physical  sight, 
their  personal  intercourse  Is  mainly  spiritual,  not 
physical.  Now  this  kind  of  spiritual  inter- 
course with  Jesus  Christ  Is  just  as  feasible  for 
every  man  as  with  his  superintendent  or  em- 
ployer. When  a  subordinate  gets  written  direc- 
tions from  his  superior,  at  first  sight  he  may  not 
whoUy  understand  them.  Then  what  does  he 
do  ?  He  might  go  directly  and  ask  for  explana- 
tions. If  he  did,  probably  his  superior  would 
say :  "  If  you  do  not  understand  It  all,  never 
mind   now.     Begin    and   follow   the    directions 


232     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

carefully  step  by  step,  and  it  will  all  come  out 
straight  and  plain.  Those  are  the  very  same 
directions  which  have  been  given  in  this  office  for 
years,  and  have  been  found  to  be  sufficient. 
However,  if  you  get  into  difficulty,  why  come  to 
me  and  I  will  then  explain  whatever  is  neces- 
sary." For  essence,  Jesus  Christ  says  not  only 
that,  but  something  more  helpful.  He  says: 
"  I  have  given  you  some  written  directions ;  but 
knowing  how  easy  it  is  for  men  who  are  weak 
and  not  spiritual  to  misunderstand  spiritual 
principles,  to  go  astray,  and  to  get  discour- 
aged, confused,  and  more  weak,  I  am  not 
leaving  you  alone  to  work  out  your  own  salva- 
tion. The  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whose  special 
work  it  is  to  explain  spiritual  things  and  to  help 
men  to  attain  them,  will  stay  with  you  night  and 
day  and  will  enable  you  both  to  know  and  to  do 
what  you  need.  What  you  have  to  do  Is  to 
speak  with  Him  and  with  Me,  to  expect  and  to 
follow  our  guidance." 

Now  let  me  say  to  you  what  I  would  say  to  a 
man  in  America  who  wished  for  personal  inter- 
course with  Jesus  in  a  simple,  intelligible  way 
so  as  actually  to  find  out  by  his  own  experience 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       233 

what  Christ  can  do  for  him.  I  would  say  to  such 
a  man  that  he  can  begin  almost  anywhere.  The 
natural  place  would  be  at  some  point  where  the 
man  feels  some  need,  especially  some  spiritual 
need.  And  beginning  anywhere,  the  first  thing 
to  do  is  not  to  ask  Christ  to  show  us  what  to  do, 
but  to  watch  Him  and  see  how  He  lived,  how  He 
did  the  thing  in  which  we  are  weak.  Just  as 
the  first  thing  to  do  for  one  who  wishes  to  learn 
carpentry  from  a  carpenter  is  not  to  ask  ques- 
tions, but  to  watch  the  carpenter.  Suppose  a 
man  wants  to  find  out  what  Christ  can  do  to 
help  him  to  become  truthful.*  Absolute  truth- 
fulness is  a  fundamental,  but  a  very  rare 
virtue. 

A  man  who  wants  to  become  a  better  man 
knows  he  is  very  weak  here  and  needs  help.  He 
first  reads  Christ's  life,  and  notices  how  abso- 
lutely true  He  was.  There  was  no  make-believe, 
no  policy,  no  shiftiness  in  Him.  So  the  man 
would  naturally  say :  "  I  wish  to  be  like  Him.  I 
will  at  least  think  of  Him,  and  I  will  accept  what- 
ever help  He  gives    me."     Then,  thinking    of 

*  Suggestions  have  been  taken  from  Dr.  Newman 
Smyth's  "Personal  Creeds." 


^34     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

Christ,  constantly  reading  His  life,  and  looking 
to  Him,  he  follows  truth  in  everything.   He  sees 
that  he  must  begin  by  being  true  at  heart.    He 
must  not  deceive  himself,  or  pretend  to  be  what 
he  is  not.   When  he  speaks,  he  seeks  to  say  just 
what  is  true.     He  looks  at  facts  and  means  to 
understand  them  just  as  they  are,  not  to  twist 
them  to  mean  what  he  would  like  them  to  mean. 
He  finds  this  kind  of  being,  thinking,  speaking, 
acting,  beset  with  all  manner  of  difficulty.     He 
is  all  the  time  falling  below  the  standard  of 
Christ  and  his  own  ideal,  too.     He  is  making 
enemies.     He  is  made  more  and  more  humble. 
He  finds  that  some  of  his  bitterest  critics  are 
men  prominent  in  religious  circles.     Tliis  sur- 
prises him.     But  it  all  makes  him  marvel  more 
and  more  at  the  absolute,  transparent  sincerity 
of  Christ,  and  more  and  more  to  find  a  satisfac- 
tion in  humble  sincerity  and  a  gradual  willing- 
ness  to   suffer   the    criticisms    and   persecution 
which  the  longing  for  truthfulness  brings.     He 
understands  the  glory  of  Christ  who  was  "  full 
of  truth,"  and  he  finds  himself  having  more  and 
more  intercourse  with  Christ  and  getting  more 
and  more  help  from  Him.     And  his  experience 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       235 

is  not  that  his  trying  and  trying  is  what  en- 
ables him  to  grow  in  truth,  but  that  his  admira- 
tion for  the  spotless  truthfulness  of  Christ  and 
association  with  Him  are  making  a  change  in 
himself. 

Longing  to  be  true  and  following  the  truth 
bring  so  many  trials  that  a  man  might  soon  begin 
to  ask  how  he  should  treat  his  enemies ;  and  then 
in  Christ's  simple  vital  way  he  might  go  to 
Christ  to  find  out  and  to  get  help.  First,  he 
would  notice  how  Christ  treated  His  enemies.  He 
would  see  that  the  feeling  of  revenge  seemed 
absolutely  wanting  in  Christ's  conduct  toward 
those  who  willfully  and  persistently  opposed 
Him.  His  feeling  was  one  of  mingled  indigna- 
tion and  pity:  indignation  because  of  their 
rancor,  their  hypocrisy,  their  not  simply  stay- 
ing away  from  Him,  but  their  hindering  simple 
folk  from  coming  to  Him :  and  deep  pity  because 
they  were  spiritually  so  lean  and  poor.  He 
would  see  this  spirit  manifested  all  through 
Christ's  life,  and  finally  hear  Him  pray,  as 
His  executioners  were  nailing  Him  to  the 
cross,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do."     And  he  would  find  that 


236     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

this  thinking  of  Jesus,  associating  with  Jesus, 
was  gradually  making  him  feel  somewhat  the 
same  toward  his  own  enemies.  He  would  see 
that  it  was  not  trying  to  be  like  Christ,  but 
associating  with  Christ,  which  was  helping  him 
and  really  developing  Christlikeness  in  him.  It 
is  varied  and  repeated  experiences  of  this  kind 
which  are  the  practical,  convincing  proof  of 
Christ  and  His  helpfulness,  and  which  awaken 
that  loyalty  to  Him  which  is  the  essence  of  Chris- 
tianity. Personal  intercourse  with  Christ  and 
humbly  taking  His  help,  i.  e.,  trusting  Him, 
having  faith  in  Him,  have  always  had  two 
results :  first,  a  higher  and  higher  view  of  Him ; 
and,  second,  a  vital  understanding  of  how  He 
helps  men. 

Eighteen  centuries  ago  many  men  talked  about 
Him,  considered  His  wonderful  works,  compared 
them  with  the  works  of  others,  admitted  that  He 
was  a  very  extraordinary  being,  but  that  was 
all.  They  got  little  or  no  help  from  Him.  His 
disciples  lived  with  Him,  saw  much  of  His  per- 
sonal life,  admired  Him,  followed  His  teachings, 
unconsciously  were  molded  by  His  person,  and 
they  got  unspeakable  help  from  Him.     Toward 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       237 

the  end  of  His  public  ministry  one  day  Christ 
asked  His  disciples,  "  Who  do  men  say  that  I 
am?  "  They  answered,  "  Some  people  say  that 
you  are  one  prophet  or  great  religious  teacher; 
others  say  you  are  still  another  prophet;  still 
others  say  you  are  a  third  prophet."  Then  Jesus 
asked,  "  But  what  do  you  say  ?  "  To  this  Peter 
promptly  replied  with  the  first  distinctively 
Christian  confession,  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  Living  God,"  i.  e.^  "  You  are  the  One 
who  makes  us  know  in  our  very  lives  and  hearts 
God  as  living  and  helpful  to  men."  That  is 
what  Christ  wants  to  do,  to  make  men  know  God 
as  He  really  is,  a  living,  helpful  Father.  There- 
fore instantly  He  replied  to  Peter,  "  Blessed  art 
thou,  Peter.  You  have  got  what  I  have  to  give. 
It  is  first  on  you,  and  hereafter  on  men  like  you, 
men  of  like  understanding  of  me,  of  like  faith 
on  me  that  I  found  my  church."  That  is  the 
essence  of  Christianity  according  to  its  founder ; 
to  use  Him  as  the  revelation  of  a  living  God,  who 
therefore  is  like  Him,  and  thus  by  His  help  to 
come  into  humble  filial  relations  with  God  our 
Heavenly  Father. 

Now  let  me  tell  you  what  the  spiritual  blessing 


S38     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

is  which  comes  to  men  through  trustful  personal 
intercourse  with  Christ,  and  what  is  the  charac- 
teristic way  by  which  Christ  imparts  it  to  men. 
Thoughtful  men  admit  that  the  highest  blessing 
possible  to  a  man  is  his  becoming  acceptable  to 
God.  But  to  the  question,  how  man  may  become 
acceptable  to  God,  the  religions  of  the  world 
have  given  different  answers.  Some  say,  "  Re- 
peat over  and  over  the  name  of  God."  Some 
say,  "  Practice  austerities."  Some  say,  "  Per- 
form such  and  such  rites."  Others  say,  "  Per- 
form other  rites."  But,  apart  from  the  charac- 
teristic way  which  Christ  points  out,  every  other 
religion  practically  says  that  the  way  for  man 
to  become  acceptable  to  God  is  to  work  hard,  to 
make  sacrifices,  and  by  such  efforts  to  win  or 
earn  God's  favor.  Now,  without  going  into 
details,  it  is  sufficient  to  show  that  all  of  these 
other  ways  are  mistaken  and  inadequate  for  two 
reasons :  first,  because  they  do  not  rightly  under- 
stand what  it  is  that  God  desires  in  men,  what  it 
is  that  makes  men  acceptable  to  Him;  and,  sec- 
ond, because  they  are  not  able  to  accomplish  in 
man  what  is  necessary  to  make  him  acceptable  to 
God. 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       239 

In  the  first  place,  do  you  believe  that  what 
God  really  desires  in  you  and  in  others  is  to 
believe  something — it  matters  not  what — about 
Him;  or  desires  that  you  should  constantly  re- 
peat His  name;  or  that  you  should  practice 
austerities  on  your  body ;  or  that  you  should  per- 
form a  large  number  of  rites  and  ceremonies ;  or 
that  you  should  try,  and  try  very  hard,  to  please 
Him,  and  repent  when  you  have  failed,  and  try 
again,  and  so  on?  Certainly  it  is  none  of  these 
things  that  you  desire  in  your  wife  or  child  or 
friend.  Then  how  much  less  does  God  desire 
any  of  these  things  from  any  of  His  human 
children.  What  any  wise  and  good  man  wants 
from  his  children  and  associates  is  purity  of 
heart  and  true  love.  And  that  is  what  God 
desires  in  men.  According  to  Jesus  only  har- 
mony with  God,  love  for  Him,  makes  one  accept- 
able to  Him.  Some  of  Jesus'  sayings  are  these : 
"  God  is  spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him  must 
worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart 
and  with  aU  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  mind. 
This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment." 
Therefore  it  is  a  mistake  to  imagine  that  what 


240     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

God  desires  in  us  is  efforts  to  make  ourselves 
good.  What  He  wants  is  our  trustful,  obedient 
love. 

The  second  inherent  weakness  in  all  proposals 
to  make  men  acceptable  to  God  by  trying  and 
trying,  i.  e.,  by  works  which  are  supposed  to 
secure  more  or  less  of  merit,  is  that  these  efforts 
have  not  power  to  secure  their  end.  The  desired 
end  is  purity  of  heart  and  humble  love  for  God. 
But  when  a  man  sets  out  to  make  himself  accept- 
able to  God  by  works  of  various  kinds,  he  sooner 
or  later  considers  that  what  God  really  desires 
is  works,  works,  works;  not  love  and  purity  of 
heart.  Then,  if  the  man  trying  to  make  himself 
acceptable  by  works  comes  even  approximately 
up  to  liis  standard,  what  is  the  inevitable  result? 
He  is  satisfied,  probably  puffed  up  and  proud. 
And  when  a  man  is  satisfied  with  himself  or  is 
proud,  where  is  his  humility  or  repentance  or 
purity  of  heart?  Where  is  his  humble  love  for 
God?  It  is  himself  that  he  is  satisfied  with  and 
loves.  No  other  result  is  possible  in  a  man  who 
thinks  to  make  himself  acceptable  to  God  by 
works  and  who  comes  approximately  up  to  his 
own  standard. 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       241 

But  there  are  some  tender  souls  who  set  out 
to  make  themselves  acceptable  to  God  by  works, 
and  whose  ideal  Is  high,  who  find  themselves  con- 
stantly falling  below  their  ideal  and  who  find 
unworthy  motives  constantly  coming  in  to  mar 
the  sincerity  and  value  of  their  deeds,  and  who 
for  this  reason  get  discouraged,  and  who  know 
that  they  are  not  acceptable  in  their  own  sight, 
much  less  in  God's  sight.  So  that  both  in 
the  case  of  those  who  think  they  are  succeeding, 
and  in  the  case  of  those  who  know  they  are  not 
succeeding,  the  way  of  trying  to  become  accept- 
able to  God  by  one's  own  efforts  is  not  the  true, 
vital  way.  It  is  mistaken  in  aim  and  inadequate 
in  power.  That  great  spiritual  hero,  Paul,  has 
given  us  his  testimony  on  this  point.  If  there 
ever  was  a  man  who  tried  to  make  himself  accept- 
able to  God  by  great  efforts  and  good  deeds,  it 
was  he.  But  the  result  of  all  his  efforts  was  the 
deepest  dissatisfaction  with  himself  and  con- 
sciousness of  failure  before  God.  Describing 
his  experience  before  he  took  Christ's  help,  he 
said,  "  I  knew  what  I  ought  to  do  and  tried  and 
tried  to  do  it ;  but  I  always  failed.  O  wretched 
man !     Who  could  deliver  me  out  of  this  death !  " 


S42     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

But  then,  going  on  to  tell  what  a  different 
experience  he  had  after  his  relation  of  personal 
trust  in  Christ,  he  said,  "  I  thank  God.  Jesus 
Christ  does  save  from  such  death." 

This  leads  me  to  explain  how  a  trustful  per- 
sonal relation  with  Jesus  Christ  secures  the  high- 
est spiritual  blessing  to  man,  viz.,  harmony  with 
God.  I  will  not  try  to  explain  the  whole  of  the 
process.  I  only  state  in  a  simple,  vital  way 
which  you  or  any  man  can  test,  the  character- 
istic essential  thing  in  Christianity.  If  a  boy 
is  a  very  timorous  person  living  among  friends 
and  associates  of  like  character,  how  can  he  be 
made  a  courageous  lad?  Will  it  be  by  people 
telling  him  not  to  fear,  and  by  his  trying  not  to 
be  afraid?  Not  at  all.  The  way  by  which  he 
can  become  a  brave  man  is  by  associating  with  a 
good  and  brave  man  who  is  willing  to  help  him, 
and  for  whom  he  cannot  help  feeling  respect  and 
love.  Living  with  such  a  man,  seeing  how  his 
truthfulness  and  trust  in  God  and  man  keep 
him  from  fear  and  make  him  brave,  helps  that 
timorous  boy.  He  finds  that  in  time  of  trouble 
his  brave  friend  is  always  near  and  always  helps, 
and  so  he  becomes  himself  a  brave  man.     Or,  if 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       245 

a  boy  is  lazy  and  his  mates  are  lazy,  how  can  he 
become  industrious?  Not  by  people  telling  him 
to  be  industrious,  nor  simply  by  his  trying  to 
become  such.  The  true  way  is  for  him  to  live 
with  some  noble,  industrious  man  whose  example 
is  always  inspiring,  and  who  will  take  great 
pains  for  and  with  him,  who  will  suffer  for  him, 
who  will  make  him  sorry  for  his  faults,  and 
who  will  thus  enable  him  to  become  a  different 
boy. 

In  the  same  way  it  is  living  with  Christ  which 
is  the  one  true  way  of  enabling  a  sinful  man  to 
become  acceptable  to  God.  When  one  does  this, 
the  first  thing  which  he  notices  is  the  difference 
between  himself  and  Christ.  He  sees  Christ 
having  an  absolute  and  wholly  unselfish  love  for 
God  his  Father,  and  having  spotless  purity  of 
character.  He  sees  Christ  suffering  for  the  sins 
of  men.  He  feels  Christ  longing  to  free  him 
from  his  weakness  and  sins.  Love  for  Christ 
springs  up  in  his  heart.  He  finds  Christ  helping 
him  to  live  better.  And  by  Christ's  help  he 
becomes  like  Christ,  and  so  a  different  man. 
By  Christ's  help  he  comes  into  harmony  with 
God.     This  is  an  intelligible  process  which  you 


244     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

can  understand  and  can  try  for  yourself.     It  is 
the  essential  thing  in  Christianity. 

For  two  reasons  I  will  not  try  to  explain  to 
you  one  central  element  in  the  process  by  which 
Christ  helps  men,  viz.,  the  part  which  His  suffer- 
ings and  death  have  in  making  sinful  men  into 
new  creatures.  His  apostles  and  followers  all 
make  His  sufferings  and  death  the  center  of  His 
influence.  The  first  reason  why  I  do  not  attempt 
this  is  that  Christians  differ  in  their  explanation, 
i.  e.,  in  their  philosophy,  of  this  wonderful  truth. 
Now  the  philosophy  of  anything  is  not  a  part  of 
the  essence  of  Christianity.  The  second  reason 
is  that,  as  the  first  disciples  had  true  vital  rela- 
tions with  Christ  without  any  explanation  and 
sometimes  with  divergent  explanations  of  this 
great  truth,  so  now  men  may  have  and  do  have 
helpful  relations  with  Him,  while  in  a  similar 
position  in  regard  to  any  explanation  of  the 
exact  force  of  His  sufferings  and  death.  The 
supreme  fact  is  that  Christ  reveals  God's  indig- 
nation and  sorrow  for  man's  sin.  His  long-suf- 
fering love  for  man  under  the  chains  of  sin,  and 
His  power  to  free  them  from  it.  No  religion 
gives  to  repentance  the  importance  and  reahty 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       245 

which  Christ  gives  it.  But  undoubtedly  repent- 
ance must  be  the  beginning  of  growth  in  spirit- 
ual life,  for  repentance  means  dissatisfaction 
with  one's  imperfect  past,  and  a  humble,  earnest 
desire  to  do  better.  But  even  repentance  is  not 
hopeful  nor  fruitful  unless  accompanied  and 
strengthened  by  what  we  call  faith,  i.  e.,  con- 
fidence in  one  who  is  able  and  glad  to  help  us 
in  our  needs,  resulting  in  loving  gratitude  to 
the  one  who  renders  such  help.  It  is  a  simple, 
historical  fact  and  a  daily  experience  of  many 
men  that  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ 
make  men  dissatisfied  with  their  sinful  past 
and  anxious  to  become  better,  that  they  quicken 
faith  in  Him  as  able  and  willing  to  help,  and 
that  they  create  ardent  and  grateful  devotion 
to  Him.  Thus  they  bring  men  into  helpful 
relations  to  Christ.  This  is  the  essential  thing 
in  Christianity.  And  those  who  come  into  these 
helpful  relations  to  Christ  and  live  with  Him 
gradually  become  like  Him  by  the  certain  laws 
of  the  mind. 

I  will  now  take  a  step  further  and  show  how 
such  trustful  association  with  Christ  enables  men 
to  understand  and  to  realize  the  highest  relation 


^46     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

to  God.  In  a  word,  it  enables  them  to  live  in 
truly  filial  relations  with  Him.  Multitudes  of 
people  use  high  religious  language  which  does 
not  express  any  distinct,  conscious  experience. 
It  is  merely  vague  phraseology.  Many  men 
constantly  call  God  their  Father.  But  no  one 
living  with  them  would  have  the  remotest  idea 
that  in  their  souls  those  men  feel  like  sons  of 
God,  or  in  their  lives  live  like  sons  of  God.  But 
without  a  doubt  Jesus  Christ  did  do  just  this. 
His  entire  consciousness  was  that  of  a  son.  All 
His  conception  of  God  was  the  conception  of  a 
Father.  All  His  feelings  w^ere  those  of  a  loving 
son.  So  far  as  we  can  judge  from  the  gospels, 
He  never  spoke  to  God  without  addressing  Him 
as  Father.  Not  only  so,  but  He  also  thought 
of  all  men  as,  according  to  God's  own  plan  and 
wish,  children  of  God.  Only  He  knew  that  they 
did  not  so  think  of  themselves,  nor  live  as  God's 
sons,  and  could  not  thus  live  so  long  as  they  had 
low  thoughts  and  ideals  and  habits — though  in 
their  own  estimation  some  of  them  were  very 
religious  people  because  they  did  a  great  many 
religious  acts.  But,  though  men  fall  below  their 
essential   sonship    to   God,   yet   because    Christ 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       247 

thinks  of  them  as  such,  His  one  great  work  is 
to  enable  men  to  live  as  sons  of  God.  Among 
the  first  words  of  the  account  of  Christ,  which 
is  caUed  the  Gospel  of  John,  we  find  it  said,  "  As 
many  as  received  Him,  to  them  He  gave  the 
right  [i.  e,,  the  privilege]  to  become  sons  of 
God." 

To  enable  men  really  to  live  as  sons  of  God 
is  Christ's  supreme  work.  At  first  even  His 
disciples  could  not  adequately  grasp  this  con- 
ception. So  He  had  to  use  terms  which  they 
could  better  understand.  We  can  believe  that 
a  daughter  of  our  late  good  Queen  Victoria, 
who  was  in  perfect  sympathy  with  her,  might 
perhaps  think  of  her  as  Queen-mother  without 
great  distinction  in  the  two  terms.  At  any 
rate  to  Jesus  Christ  it  must  have  been  that  the 
expression  "  Kingdom  of  God,"  which  He  so 
often  used,  was  nearly  synonymous  with  the 
Fatherhood  of  God,  which  expression  we  do  not 
find  in  the  gospels,  very  likely  because  at  the 
time  that  He  was  teaching  in  Palestine  it  would 
not  have  been  well  understood.  Certainly  the 
greater  includes  the  less.  Christ's  supreme  con- 
ception of  God  was  that  of  Father,  and  so  must 


248     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

include  the  conception  of  God  as  King.  God's 
Kingdom  is  a  paternal  rule  where  paternal  and 
filial  love  are  the  controlling  principles. 

Now  the  blessed  thing  is  that  trustful  asso- 
ciation with  Christ  enables  men  to  live  in  such 
filial  relations  with  their  heavenly  Father. 
Christ  does  this  first  by  being  such  Himself. 
He  was  the  Son  of  God  in  a  peculiarly  high 
sense.  Nevertheless,  it  is  true  that  He  is  our 
elder  brother,  and  we  are  younger  sons  of  the 
same  Father.  And  He  helps  His  younger  breth- 
ren to  realize  what  sonship  to  God  is  by  His 
own  filial  relation  to  that  Father.  The  deepest 
reverence  for  that  Father,  the  most  absolute 
conformity  to  His  will,  the  utmost  delight  in 
His  service,  the  most  sensitive  desire  that  He 
should  be  known  and  appreciated,  in  short,  spir- 
itual oneness  with  that  Father  characterized 
Him  so  that  He  could  truly  say,  "  The  Father 
and  I  are  one."  This  shows  His  perfectly  filial 
relation  to  God.  Thus  seeing  Him  men  can 
in  some  measure  understand  how  He  was  the 
Son  of  God.  Thereby  He  gives  us  a  concep- 
tion of  what,  in  some  measure,  we  may  become, 
and  awakens  in  our  hearts  a  sense  of  privilege 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       249 

and  duty  and  love.     The  inherent  possibility  in 
man  begins  to  develop  into  reality. 

In  the  second  place,  He  helps  men  to  become 
sons  of  God  by  telling  them  that  that  is  God's 
plan  and  wish  for  them.  He  tells  them  always 
to  address  God  as  Father.  He  said,  "When- 
ever you  pray,  begin  thus,  '  Our  Father ' ;  and 
while  you  may  freely  tell  Him  every  slightest 
need,  remember  especially  that  He  knows  what 
is  best  and  will  do  what  is  best.  Therefore 
always  say,  and  always  mean  it,  too,  *  Thy  will 
be  done,'  for,  after  all,  what  you  most  need 
is  to  know  and  do  and  love  our  Father's  will." 
His  teaching  might  almost  be  typically  con- 
densed in  a  few  other  quotations  about  men's 
bearing  themselves  like  sons  of  their  Heavenly 
Father.  Here  are  a  few  of  those  teachings: 
"  Be  not  anxious,  saying.  What  shall  we  eat.'^ 
or  What  shall  we  drink  .^^  or.  Wherewithal  shall 
we  be  clothed?  for  your  heavenly  Father  know- 
eth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things."  "  If 
ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good  things 
to  them  that  ask  Him  ?  "    "  Love  your  enemies, 


250     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you,  that  ye 
may  be  sons  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven." 
"  Ye  therefore  shall  be  perfect,  as  your  heavenly 
Father  is  perfect." 

In  the  third  place,  Christ  helps  men  to  be- 
come sons  of  God  by  identifying  Himself  with 
them,  by  being,  as  He  Himself  says,  •with  them 
and  in  them,  and  having  them  in  Himself.  In 
mystic  language,  which  is  yet  intelligible.  He 
tells  how  He  personally  associates  with  and 
helps  those  who  trustfully  associate  with  Him. 
For  example.  He  says  that  such  a  person  is  to 
Him  in  such  a  relation  as  a  branch  is  to  a  vine. 
When  a  branch  is  in  vital  union  with  a  vine 
just  such  sap  as  is  in  the  vine  comes  into  the 
branch  and  by  that  living  relation  that  branch 
has  just  such  leaves  and  just  such  fruit  as 
the  vine.  "  In  a  similar  way,"  He  says,  "  if 
you  will  live  in  me,  I  will  put  my  sap  into  you ; 
that  is,  my  thoughts,  my  beliefs,  my  aims,  my 
loves,  my  life  will  come  into  you  and  you  will 
become  Hke  me."  Now  what  I  am  trying  to  do 
is  to  put  these  truths  in  a  simple,  intelligible 
way  which  you  can  test  for  yourself.  Words- 
worth has  well  said,  "We  live  by  admiration, 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       251 

hope  and  love."  So  if  any  man  lives  with  Christ, 
he  cannot  help  admiring  Him,  looking  up  to 
Him,  gradually  living  as  He  does,  hoping  for 
higher  things,  and  more  and  more  loving  Him. 
In  Wordsworth's  language,  he  lives  by  admira- 
tion, hope,  and  love  for  Christ,  and  so  becomes 
like  Christ,  and  therefore  like  Him  realizes  filial 
relations  with  his  Heavenly  Father.  This  is 
the  essence  and  the  simplicity  of  Christianity. 
It  may  help  3'ou  if  I  specify  one  or  two  par- 
ticulars w^here  the  supreme  excellence  of  this 
simple  Christian  way  manifests  itself.  The  cru- 
cial point  where  every  system  except  the  Chris- 
tian system  glaringly  shows  its  weakness  is  in 
its  inability  to  secure  thorough  humility  to- 
gether with  other  great  spiritual  attainments. 
If  a  man  is  unusually  gifted  and  hard-working 
and  self-denying  and  otherwise  preeminent,  how 
can  he  also  be  kept  thoroughly  humble?  The 
Christian  way  secures  it  by  making  the  com- 
parison— if  any  comparison  is  made  at  all — • 
not  between  that  man  and  other  men,  but  be- 
tween that  man  and  Christ,  and  every  such 
comparison  is  always  and  only  humbling  to  the 
Christian.     It  is  not  only  that  we  are  following 


252     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

and  emulating  our  Father  and  elder  brother, 
but  that  whatever  good  we  may  do  we  do  for 
love  to  them  and  by  their  help.  What  place 
then  is  left  for  pride?  Through  such  influence 
the  truest  Christian  is  the  humblest  man. 

A  second  crucial  point  in  ethics  is  the  eleva- 
tion and  soundness  of  motive  in  our  relations 
with  our  fellowmen.  Trustful  association  with 
Jesus  Christ  awakens  in  man  motives  like  His 
own.  His  motives  were  true  respect  for  men — 
even  the  most  sinful  men — ^because  essentially 
they  are  sons  of  God,  and  the  most  unselfish 
love  for  them  as  lost  sons  needing  to  be  saved. 
The  simplicity  of  Christianity  is  that  trustful 
association  with  Christ  secures  such  high  rela- 
tions also  with  men.  I  urge  you  to  try  this 
simple,  vital  way  for  yourself. 

Ever  since  the  few  short  years  of  Christ's 
earthly  life  in  Palestine,  nearly  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  He  has  been  an  invisible  person. 
From  the  first  He  Himself  recognized  that  His 
work  of  revealing  God  to  men  and  enabling 
them  to  become  sons  of  God  was  circumscribed 
by  His  human,  visible  condition.  So  long  as 
He  could  be  seen  and  heard  in  one  particular 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       253 

locality  how  could  men  regard  Him  as  a  uni- 
versal, spiritual  helper?  None  ever  knew  so 
well  as  He  how  best  to  promote  men's  spiritual 
welfare.  Therefore,  as  the  time  for  His  de- 
parture drew  near  He  said  to  His  disciples, 
*'  I  tell  you  the  truth.  It  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away.  For  if  I  should  not  go  away, 
you  would  depend,  as  now,  on  my  physical 
presence.  You  could  not  even  understand  me. 
You  need  to  become  more  and  more  spiritual. 
So  I  am  going  away.  But  I  shall  not  leave 
you  alone.  The  Spirit  of  God  will  come  and 
be  ever  with  you.  I  have  done  my  peculiar 
work  as  a  concrete  human  revelation  of  the 
Father.  Now  the  universal,  invisible  Spirit  will 
come  and  do  His  work.  Primarily  He  will  ex- 
plain me  to  you.  Pie  will  make  you  understand 
who  I  am,  and  the  spiritual  meaning  of  my 
words  and  conduct  which  you  cannot  now  un- 
derstand. And  He  will  always  continue  to  be 
with  all  my  brethren  and  to  guide  them  in  all 
things."  Now,  since  this  is  Christ's  teaching, 
and  since  Christianity  is  loyalty  to  the  living 
Christ,  we  may  say  that  the  simplicity  of  Chris- 
tianity is  that  it  is  living  by  the  help  of  Christ 


S54     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  That 
is,  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  is  the  spiritual  re- 
vealer  of  the  Christ  who  was  the  concrete 
revealer  of  God.  Christ  said  the  "  Holy  Spirit 
shall  take  of  the  things  of  me  and  show  them 
to  you." 

Prior  to  Jesus  Christ  men's  conceptions  of 
God  and  of  the  true  relations  between  God  and 
men  were  so  vague  and  mistaken  that  they  did 
not  know  God  as  Father.  But  God  so  revealed 
Himself  through  the  Hfe,  teachings,  sufferings, 
and  resurrection  of  Jesus  that  we  may  say  that 
Jesus  is  the  fullest  human  expression  of  God, 
by  which  He  makes  us  know  Him  as  the  Father 
of  our  spirits.  But  men  are  still  so  unspiritual 
that  even  with  Christ's  help  they  cannot  ade- 
quately apprehend  the  Father  and  walk  as  His 
sons  without  the  further  and  constant  help  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Owing  to  men's  low,  sinful 
condition  they  get  a  wrong  conception  of  God 
and  live  without  sympathetic  obedience  to  Him. 
Therefore  they  need  Christ  to  reveal  the  Father 
and  help  them  to  live  as  His  sons.  Vague  and 
wrong  conceptions  of  God  and  of  their  relations 
to  Him  are  men's  first  great  lack.    This  Christ 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       255 

supplies.  Their  next  great  lack  is  that  even 
when  they  get  better  conceptions,  they  forget 
God  and  live  as  if  He  were  not.  The  Holy 
Spirit,  who  ever  lives  with  God's  sons,  supplies 
this  second  lack.  He  makes  God  a  present  God. 
He  shows  that  a  risen  Christ  means  an  ever- 
living  Christ,  and  that  His  help  does  not  depend 
on  our  visible  sight  of  Him.  The  Spirit  shows 
Christ's  brethren  that  they  have  a  union  with 
Christ  which  is  ever  constant  and  indissoluble, 
which  in  Biblical  language  is  expressed  by  the 
term  in  Christ. 

Now,  how  are  men  to  know  for  themselves 
whether  these  things  are  so  or  not?  In  the 
same  vital  way  as  that  in  which  they  know 
anything,  i.  e.,  by  actual  experience.  In  Bibli- 
cal language,  "  As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  "  The  Spirit 
beareth  witness  with  our  spirit ;  that  we  are 
the  children  of  God."  Let  a  man  stop  and  ask 
himself,  "  Is  there  anyone  who  has  intercourse 
with  my  spirit .?  Is  there  some  voice  which 
speaks  to  my  soul?  Is  there  someone  who 
strengthens  the  better  impulses  of  my  heart? 
Does  he  use  the  example  and  words  and  power 


g56    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

of  Christ  or  not?  "  These  are  simple,  natural 
questions  which  any  man  may  ask  for  himself 
and  to  which  he  can,  if  wise,  give  answers. 
Persons  who  truly  take  Christ's  help  can  hon- 
estly give  intelligible  answers.  Christ  definitely 
said  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  help  the  spirits 
of  men  and  would  use  Him  In  this  work.  There 
are  men  who  can  honestly  say  that  this  thing 
is  true  in  their  lives.  If  true  of  some,  others 
can  test  it  for  themselves.  Let  a  man  earnestly 
desire  to  know  God,  see  if  he  will  not  find  the 
life  of  Christ  most  helpful  to  him.  As  he 
brings  Christ  in  any  way  Into  connection  with 
his  life,  see  if  he  does  not  have  inward  spiritual 
impulses.  Is  it  not  the  most  reasonable  explana- 
tion of  those  Impulses  that  God  by  His  Spirit 
is  helping  the  man  to  walk  as  His  son.?  This 
is  the  explanation  offered  by  Christianity. 

In  religious  matters  there  are  two  ways  of 
trying  to  ascertain  truth.  One  is  the  purely 
intellectual  method,  according  to  which  one  asks 
an  argument  to  the  intellect  before  accepting 
anything.  Thus,  for  example,  according  to  this 
method,  one  would  not  believe  in  God  till  His 
existence  and  attributes  had  been  proved.     But 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       ^57 

neither  you  nor  I  should  much  respect  even  the 
intellect  of  a  man  who  would  not  have  anything 
to  do  with  his  mother  until  he  had  asked  for 
and  examined  the  intellectual  proof  of  her  ex- 
istence and  attributes.  Nor  should  we  think 
that  a  mother  would  be  of  much  use  to  a  man 
who  believed  in  her  only  because  he  had  asked 
and  received  proofs  of  her  existence  and  char- 
acter. Similarly,  because  God  is  the  Father  of 
every  man  and  is  constantly  acting  as  his 
Father,  I  do  not  respect  the  intellectual  condi- 
tion of  men  who  do  not  recognize  that  there  is 
a  God  until  they  have  been  through  a  process 
of  argument  proving  His  existence.  Just  as 
we  know  men  more  by  association  than  by  argu- 
ment, so  we  know  God  more  by  association  than 
by  argument.  Reasoning  has  its  proper  place 
in  determining  our  relations  with  men, 
and  also  in  ascertaining  what  is  from  God. 
Christianity  has  from  the  first  had  to  give  and 
has  gladly  given  proper  and  adequate  proofs, 
so  far  as  reason  requires  them.  Nevertheless, 
the  strong  thing  in  Christianity  is  that  it  is 
fitted  for  the  whole  of  man,  and  its  strongest 
proof  is  supplying  all  the  needs  of  men  in  the 


258     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

simple,  vital  way  of  life  in  all  departments.  The 
sound  way  of  trying  to  ascertain  religious  truth 
is  the  way  of  making  reason  and  experience  go 
hand  in  hand.  There  is  such  overwhelming  his- 
torical and  experimental  evidence  for  believing 
that  Jesus  Christ  lived  and  was  substantially 
as  described  in  the  New  Testament  that  the 
only  sensible  thing  is  to  act  as  if  that  were 
so,  and  then  to  test  for  yourself  whether  you 
need  His  help  by  the  simple,  natural  way  which 
I  have  described,  i.  e.,  by  personal  association 
with  Him.  Every  thoughtful  person  knows  that 
personal  influence  is  the  greatest  influence. 
When  personal  association  is  continuous  and 
spiritual,  and  includes  both  the  great  and  little 
matters  of  life,  it  is  a  transforming  power.  I 
have  shown  that  such  trustful,  intimate,  per- 
sonal association  is  what  Jesus  desires  and  off^ers 
to  every  man.  Also  I  have  shown  how  it  is 
feasible  for  everyone  and  for  you. 

It  is  feasible,  first,  by  a  careful,  thoughtful 
use  of  the  biography  of  Jesus  as  written  in  the 
four  gospels.  With  this  should  be  used  its 
supplement  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  in 
the  letters  of  St.  Paul  and  other  apostles,  be- 


SIMPLICITY    OF    CHRISTIANITY       259 

cause  these  writings  show  how  association  with 
Jesus  Christ  aiFected  those  early  Christians,  and 
how  they  finally  understood  Him. 

Secondly,  Christianity  teaches  that  Christ  is 
now  living  and  in  personal  relations  with  us  all. 
If  true,  this  enables  us  to  have  personal  inter- 
course with  Him  in  a  vital  way.  It  is  a  thing 
which  every  man  can  test  for  himself.  Paul 
was  the  most  bitter  persecutor  of  Christians. 
He  became  the  chief  missionary  of  this  faith. 
He  says  this  change  was  due  to  personal  inter- 
course with  Christ.  If  Jesus  Christ  is  even  a 
true  religious  teacher,  this  claim  is  true,  because 
the  most  important  point  of  His  teaching  was 
that  He  was  to  be  forever  with  His  followers 
to  help  them. 

Thirdly,  the  Spirit  of  God  is  said  by  Christ 
to  live  with  men  and  to  take  of  Him  and  to 
make  Him  real  to  men.  You  and  I  can  test 
this  for  ourselves. 

The  results  of  trustful,  personal  association 
with  Christ  have  always  been  to  lead  men  to 
higher  and  higher  views  regarding  Him,  and 
to  make  them  grow  more  and  more  like  Him. 
His  earliest  disciples  from  regarding  Him  as  a, 


^60     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

teacher  grew  to  regard  Him  more  and  more 
as  Saviour  and  Lord.  They  also  grew  more 
and  more  into  His  likeness.  Paul  could  hon- 
estly say,  "  I  do  not  live,  but  Christ  lives  in  me." 
That  was  no  exaggeration.  He  was  controlled 
by  the  mind  and  spirit  of  Christ.  Whoever 
lives  in  trustful,  intimate  intercourse  with  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  comes  into  fihal  rela- 
tions with  God  as  Father,  and  he  knows  that 
it  is  Christ  who  helps  him  into  this  changed 
life.  Now,  my  friend,  will  you  not  try  this 
vital  way  for  yourself?  Never  mind  what  any- 
one else  thinks  about  Christ.  Never  mind 
whether  things  have  been  put  forward  which 
do  not  seem  right  to  you.  Have  trustful,  inti- 
mate personal  association  with  Christ,  and  you 
will  be  helped  by  Him.  You  will  be  helped  in 
your  belief.  You  will  be  helped  in  your  life. 
And  the  more  you  trust  Him  and  take  His  help, 
and  follow  Him,  the  more  you  will  grow  like 
Him. 


VIII 

HOW   GANGARAM   BECAME  ACQUAINTED 
WITH  GOD 

PEOPLE  m  America  often  wonder  how  the 
missionary  In  India  presents  Christ  to 
common,  plain  people  there.  So  I  will 
give  you  an  Illustration  of  the  way  In  which 
one  missionary  tries  to  make  God  seem  vitally 
great  and  good  and  near  to  every  man  through 
the  revelation  which  Christ  has  made  of  Him. 
One  of  the  advantages  of  being  a  missionary 
in  India  Is  that  with  ordinary  people  religion 
Is  there  always  a  natural,  proper  subject  of 
conversation.  It  is  mainly  with  people  who  have 
come  under  Western  ways  and  ideas  that  a 
Christian  has  to  be  careful  about  quickly  intro- 
ducing a  religious  topic  Into  conversation.  But 
with  the  average  man  one  does  not  need  to  wait 
or  to  beat  around  the  bush  before  speaking  of 
distinctly  Christian  things.  Suppose  that  a 
plain  man,  who  knows  nothing  of  Christianity 
except  that  there  is  now  a  considerable  Chris- 
2QI 


^62     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

tian  community  in  Ahmednagar,  and  that  in  a 
particular  house  lives  a  missionary  who  is  a 
leader  of  Christians,  comes  to  my  house  largelyj 
out  of  curiosity.  The  following  would  be  a 
way  in  which  I  might  talk  to  him.  When  he 
knocks  on  the  door,  or  through  a  servant  sends 
a  message  to  my  room  that  he  wishes  to  see 
me,  and  I  say,  "  Come  in,"  I  should  first  ask, 
"  What  is  your  name.?  "  He  might  say,  "  Gan- 
garam,"  which  is  as  common  a  name  as  John 
or  Charles  in  America.  Then  I  might  say,  "  Do 
you  know  my  name.?  It  is  Hume."  Then  he 
would  say,  "  Hume  Saheb,"  L  e.,  Mr.  Hume. 
Then  I  would  ask,  "What  is  your  business.?" 
and  he  might  reply,  "  I  am  a  carpenter."  Then 
I  might  say,  "  Let  me  tell  you  my  business.  It 
is  to  help  men  to  become  acquainted  with  God." 
This  makes  him  look  surprised,  because  he  has 
never  heard  of  such  an  occupation  before.  Then 
I  might  ask,  "  Gangaram,  are  you  acquainted 
with  God.?  "  Of  course  he  looks  as  surprised  as 
if  I  had  asked,  "  Are  you  acquainted  with  the 
Queen  or  the  Governor.?  "  Then  I  say,  "  Gan- 
garam, I  am  somewhat  acquainted  with  God^ 
It  is  my  business  to  help  men  to  get  acquainted 


ACQUAINTED   WITH    GOD       263 

with  Him.  I  will  explain  it  to  you  so  that  you 
can  understand.  Men  get  acquainted  with  God 
in  just  the  very  same  way  as  that  in  which 
they  get  acquainted  with  men.  There  is  no 
different  way.  Just  as  I  have  only  one  pair  of 
outward  eyes  and  outward  ears,  and  have  to  get 
all  my  outward  knowledge  about  everyone 
through  those  eyes  and  ears,  so  I  have  only  one 
pair  of  inward  eyes  and  inward  ears,  and  have 
to  get  all  my  inward  knowledge  of  everyone, 
of  men  and  of  God,  through  those  eyes  and 
ears,  by  using  them  in  just  the  same  way.  What 
does  it  mean  to  be  acquainted  with  anyone?  It 
does  not  mean  to  see  that  man's  face,  but  his 
mind  and  heart.  There  are  hundreds  of  men 
whose  faces  we  often  see,  with  whom  we  are  not 
acquainted,  because  we  do  not  see  their  minds 
and  hearts.  To  be  acquainted  with  anyone 
means  to  know  what  he  often  thinks  about,  what 
he  is  interested  in,  what  he  is  trying  to  do, 
what  he  is  glad  for  or  sorry  for,  what  his  hopes 
and  ideals  are.  Now,  there  are  four  ways  in 
which  I  get  acquainted  with  men,  L  e.,  see  what 
is  regularly  going  on  in  their  minds  and  hearts ; 
and  in  the  very  same  ways  I  get  acquainted  with 


264     MISSIONS  Irom  the  MODERN  VIEW 

God,  i.  e.,  know  what  is  going  on  in  His  mind 
and  heart,  i,  e.,  I  know  what  He  is  trying  to  do, 
what  He  is  glad  for  and  sorry  for,  and  so  I 
secure  intimacy  with  Him. 

"  One  way  in  which  I  get  acquainted  with 
men  is  through  letters.  Here  is  a  letter  from 
a  man  who  lives  ten  thousand  miles  away,  whose 
face  I  have  never  seen  and  may  never  see.  But 
we  write  letters  to  each  other.  In  these  letters 
we  say  what  we  are  thinking  about,  and  inter- 
ested in,  and  what  we  are  trying  to  do,  what 
we  are  glad  for  and  sorry  for,  what  our  hopes 
and  ideals  are;  we  tell  one  another  how  each 
is  getting  on;  each  says  what  he  would  like 
the  other  to  do  for  him,  and  inquires  what  he 
can  do  for  the  other.  Through  such  letters  we 
are  becoming  truly  acquainted,  i,  ^.,  we  see  one 
another's  mind  and  heart,  and  are  drawn  to  one 
another.  Now,  is  there  anything  which  men 
can  do  which  God  cannot  also  do?  Men  can 
write  letters  and  get  acquainted  through  them. 
Do  not  you  suppose  that  God  also  can  do  the 
same.f* "  Of  course,  Gangaram  looks  somewhat 
surprised,  but  says  that  of  course  God  can  do 
whatever  men  can  do.    Then  I  say,  "  Not  only 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       265 

can  God  write  letters,  but  He  has  written  many. 
I  have  some  of  His  letters  in  my  house  now. 
Here  is  one,  and  I  will  read  a  part  of  it  to  you." 
Then,  of  course,  I  would  not  open  a  big  book, 
because  that  would  not  seem  like  a  letter.  But 
I  usually  have  in  small  form  a  Gospel  on  my 
table.  Taking  up  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  I  say, 
"  Here  is  a  letter  from  God,  in  which  He  has 
expressed  just  what  my  friend  expressed  in  the 
first  letter  which  I  showed  you,  viz.,  what  He 
is  thinking  about,  and  interested  in,  and  wish- 
ing to  do;  what  he  is  glad  for  and  sorry  for; 
what  He  wants  me  to  do  for  Him,  and  what 
He  wishes  to  do  for  me.  Therefore  by  read- 
ing this  letter  I  see  what  is  in  the  mind  and 
heart  of  God,  and  so  I  get  acquainted  with 
Him  and  come  to  understand  and  to  appreciate 
Him  and  am  drawn  to  Him.  If  you  will  more 
and  more  find  out  what  is  in  this  letter  from 
God  and  act  up  to  what  He  wishes  in  it,  you,  too, 
can  get  acquainted  with  God.  Now  I  will  read 
something  from  this  letter." 

Then  I  might  open  at  the  fifteenth  chapter  of 
Luke  and  say :  "  In  this  place  in  this  letter  it  says 
that  God  is  like  any  man,  just  such  a  man  as 


^66    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

you  are,  just  such  a  man  as  I  am,  just  like 
all  the  men  about  us.  It  says  that  God  is  like 
a  man  who  had  a  hundred  sheep.  One  evening 
when  this  shepherd  brought  his  flock  home  and 
counted  them,  he  found  one  missing.  What  did 
he  say.?  'I  don't  care;  let  the  thing  go;  I 
have  ninety-nine  sheep  left '  ?  Of  course  not. 
No  shepherd  ever  felt  like  that.  Why  not.? 
In  the  first  place,  because  that  sheep  was  worth 
money  to  that  shepherd — worth  from  three  to 
R\e  rupees — and  no  man  is  willing  to  lose 
money  if  he  can  help  it.  And  another  reason 
was  because  that  shepherd  had  come  to  feel 
an  interest  in  that  sheep,  since  he  had  taken 
care  of  it  for  a  long  time.  So  immediately  he 
left  the  ninety-nine  safe  sheep  in  the  fold  and 
started  to  find  the  lost  one.  First  he  went  west 
toward  Nepti,  but  could  not  find  it  there.  Then 
he  went  north  toward  Savedi,  but  could  not 
find  it  there.  Then  east  toward  Ferribag,  but 
could  not  find  it.  Then  he  hurried  south  toward 
Walki,  because  it  was  getting  dark;  and  he 
asked  everyone  whom  he  met  if  he  had  seen 
a  stray  sheep.  And  like  every  Eastern  shepherd 
he  often  called  the  name  of  the  sheep.    At  last 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD        267 

he  heard  a  little  *  Ba-a  '  and  said,  '  I  believe 
that  is  my  sheep.'  He  called  again  and  went 
in  that  direction,  and  at  last  he  found  the  poor 
thing  caught  in  a  thicket.  It  could  not  get 
out,  its  fleece  was  torn,  and  it  was  all  in  a-trem- 
ble  because  it  was  dark,  and  it  could  hear  the 
wolves  howling.  What  did  he  do?  Did  he  give 
the  sheep  a  good  kick  and  say,  '  You  have  made 
me  lots  of  trouble  to-day ;  I  will  give  you  a 
good  beating  when  I  get  home'.?  Not  at  all. 
He  said,  '  You  poor,  poor  thing ;  I  am  so  sorry 
for  you.'  And,  like  every  shepherd,  he  took  it 
tenderly  out  of  the  thicket  and  lifted  it  upon 
his  shoulders,  two  legs  on  one  side  and  two  on 
the  other,  and  carried  it  home  and  spoke  kindly 
to  it  all  the  way,  and  took  extra  care  of  it 
that  night.  And  he  was  so  pleased  that  he 
called  all  his  friends  together  and  told  them  all 
about  it.  He  did  not  speak  of  his  troubles, 
but  of  his  joy  in  finding  the  lost  sheep.  And 
it  says  in  this  letter  that  that  is  just  what  God 
is  like.  He  is  your  shepherd,  and  you  are  His 
sheep.  But  you  are  worth  far  more  to  Him 
than  that  sheep  was  to  that  shepherd;  worth 
far  more  than  three  or  five  rupees.     And  He 


268     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

has  done  far  more  for  you  than  that  shepherd 
had  done  for  that  sheep.  But  you,  too,  are 
lost.  For,  when  you  said  to  me  that  you  are 
not  acquainted  with  God,  that  means  that  you 
have  strayed  away  from  Him.  A  sheep  is  lost 
which  does  not  know  the  way  to  its  fold.  And 
you  are  lost  in  the  thicket  of  ignorance  of  God. 
But  He  is  trying  to  find  you,  and  He  will  do 
His  best  to  get  you  out  of  it,  and  to  take  you 
home  to  be  with  Him  where  you  can  be  safe. 
You  do  not  yet  know  how  He  feels  and  talks  and 
deals  with  men.  But  He  is  most  eager  for  you, 
and  He  needs  you  so  much  that  He  is  trying 
to  find  you  and  all  other  lost  sheep  like  you, 
and  He  has  sent  me  to  tell  you  this. 

"  Now  the  letter  goes  on  to  say  that  God 
is  not  only  hke  a  man,  but  like  a  woman;  just 
such  a  woman  as  your  wife  and  my  wife.  This 
woman  had  ten  pieces  of  silver.  One  day  when 
she  counted  her  money  one  piece  was  gone. 
What  did  she  say  ?  Did  she  say,  '  I  don't  care ; 
I  have  nine  pieces  left'.?  Of  course  not.  You 
know  the  proverb  that  says  you  can  buy  ten 
needles  for  the  smallest  copper  coin,  but  that 
a  woman  cries  if  she  loses  one  needle.     Then 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       S69 

how  much  worse  that  woman  felt  when  she  had 
lost  a  piece  of  silver.     So  she  did  what  your 
or  my  wife  would  do.     She  tried  to  find  the 
lost  coin.     But  when  she  could  not  find  it  she 
lighted    a    lamp,    because    the    room    had    no 
windows,   and  she  swept  its   earthen  floor  and 
then  threw  the  dirt  which  she  had  gathered  up 
and  down  in  a  fan  till  at  last  she  saw  the  silver 
bit.     Then  she  was  so  pleased  that  she  called 
her  women  friends  together  and  told  them  all 
about  it,  and  said,  '  Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have 
found  the  money  that  was  lost.'    And  the  letter 
says  that  is  how  God  feels.     Gangaram,  you 
are    God's    money.     He    needs    you.     You    are 
worth  much  more  to  Him  than  that  coin  was  to 
that  woman.     The  place  for  money  is  not  in  the 
dirt,  where  it  is  worth  nothing,  but  to  be  clean 
and   in   its   owner's   hand,    so   that  he   can   do 
with  it  what  he  wants.     You  are  in  the  dirt  of 
ignorance  and  carelessness ;  that  is,  you  are  lost, 
and  not  in  God's  hand,  where  He  can  use  you  to 
do  some  good  work.     But  He  is  trying  to  find 
and  to  clean  you  so  that  He  can  do  some  good 
work  by  you.     He  is  so  anxious  for  you  that  He 
sent  me  here  to  tell  you  this. 


270     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW. 

"  Then  the  letter  goes  on  to  say  that  God  is 
like  a  rich  man  who  had  two  boys.  The  younger 
boy  had  got  into  bad  company,  and  was  not 
contented  and  made  much  trouble.  He  kept 
nagging  his  father  and  saying,  '  Father,  there 
is  no  fun  here  in  this  little  village;  no  chance 
to  make  much  money,  or  to  get  a  reputation. 
I  want  to  go  to  Bombay.  That  is  a  big  place, 
where  there  is  lots  of  fun  and  chances  to  make 
money.  Let  me  have  some  money  and  go  there. 
Some  day  you  will  see  me  come  back  with  a 
big  bag  of  money.'  But  the  father  replied, 
'  My  boy,  I  have  lived  longer  than  you.  It  is 
easier  to  lose  money  than  to  make  it.  Those 
companions  of  yours  are  not  good.  They  are 
sure  to  get  you  into  trouble.'  But  the  boy 
kept  nagging  his  father,  and  at  last  he  got  his 
money  and  went  off.  He  thought  he  was  going 
to  have  a  grand  time.  He  had  fun  for  a  while. 
But  his  companions  fleeced  him.  He  lost  all 
his  money,  and  pawned  his  clothes  and  fell  sick. 
And  plague  and  famine  all  around  made  him 
think  he  would  die.  Then  he  said,  '  I  am  a 
fool.  Here  I  am  dying  with  hunger,  and  even 
the  servants  at  home  have  plenty  of  everything. 


ACQUAINTED   WITH   GOD       ^71 

I  will  go  home.'     So  he  started.     But  when  he 
came  near   to   the  house  he  thought  how  his 
older  brother  and  the  servants  might  laugh,  and 
say,  'A  big  bag  of  money  he  has  brought.'     So 
he  felt  ashamed  and  stopped  a  moment  behind 
a  tree.     But,  Gangaram,  what  had  been  hap- 
pening in  that  house  all  those  days?     Every 
day  the  mother  had  cried.     Every  single  day 
that  father's  heart  had  been  heavy.    If  he  knew 
of   anyone's   going  to   Bombay  he   would   say, 
« If  you  see  my  boy,  tell  him  his  mother  is  dying 
for  lack  of  him,  and  tell  him  to  come  home.' 
And  at  the  moment  that  the  boy  stood  hesitating 
under  the  tree  the  father  was  thinking,  '  Where 
is  my  boy  now.? '    And  as  he  looked  out  he  said, 
« Who  is  that?    It  looks  like  my  boy,'  and  down 
the  road  he  ran  and  they  both  threw  their  arms 
around  one  another  and  both  cried.     The  boy 
said,  '  Father,  I  have  been  a  naughty  boy.     I 
have  made  you  and  mother  sorry.    I  have  wasted 
your  money.     I  do  not  ask  you  to  take  me  into 
the   famHy    again.      But   please   try   me   as   a 
servant.'     Then  the  father  said,  '  My  boy,  my 
boy!      Don't    you    say    another    word.     Your 
mother  will  be  a  new  woman  to-day.     Come  right 


272     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

into  the  house.'  And  he  pulled  him  in  and  left 
him  with  his  mother  in  an  inner  room,  where  both 
could  cry  and  be  glad,  while  he  went  and 
told  the  servants,  '  Make  a  great  dinner  to-day. 
This  is  the  happiest  day  this  house  has  ever 
known.  This  son  of  ours  who  was  as  good  as 
dead  is  alive  again  and  at  home.'  Now,  Gan- 
garam,  that  is  just  what  God  is  like.  He  is 
your  father.  You  are  His  boy.  You  have 
been  foolish  and  done  a  great  many  wrong 
things.  These  have  caused  you  much  trouble. 
But  your  God,  too,  has  suffered  because  you 
have  lived  away  from  Him.  But  He  longs  for 
you  and  needs  you,  and  He  wants  you  to  come 
and  live  with  Him.  He  cannot  bear  to  have 
any  son  of  His  suffer  in  ignorance  and  sin.  He 
wants  everyone  to  live  near  Him  as  a  loyal  son. 
And  He  wants  you  and  me  to  know  this,  and 
therefore  has  sent  us  this  letter. 

"  Now,  Gangaram,  I  could  tell  you  a  great 
deal  more  that  there  is  in  this  letter.  But  there 
is  a  second  way  in  which  we  get  acquainted  with 
men  and  with  God.  Through  messengers,  also, 
we  get  acquainted  with  men.  That  is,  we  find 
out  what  is  in  their  minds  and  hearts,  what  they 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       273 

are  thinking  about,  and  trying  to  do ;  what  they 
are  glad  for  and  sorry  for;  what  they  wish  to 
do  for  us,  and  what  they  wish  us  to  do  for 
them.  Yonder  In  that  house  Hves  the  Collector, 
who  Is  my  friend.  Often  he  sends  a  mes- 
senger to  me  to  say  what  he  wants  me  to 
know.  He  sometimes  sends  me  a  paper  or  a 
book,  and  asks  me  for  an  American  magazine 
or  book.  He  asks  me  to  come  to  see  him  at 
a  certain  time  and  place.  He  wants  to  know 
about  various  things  in  which  we  both  are 
interested.  And  in  this  way  we  become  better 
acquainted.  Now  men  get  acquainted  with 
God  also  in  the  very  same  way.  He  sends  mes- 
sengers to  men  to  tell  them  what  Is  in  His  mind 
and  heart :  what  He  Is  trying  to  do ;  what  He  is 
glad  for  and  sorry  for;  what  He  wishes  us  to 
do  for  Him  and  what  He  wishes  to  do  for  us. 
And  that  Is  just  what  I  am — God's  messenger 
to  you.  There  are  things  which  He  is  very 
anxious  that  you  should  know  and  do,  and  so 
He  has  sent  me  to  you.    Now  listen. 

"  More  than  nineteen  hundred  years  ago  a 
very  wonderful  thing  happened  to  the  north- 
west of  Kanhur   over  there,   some  twenty-five 


£74     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

hundred  miles  away.  It  was  so  wonderful  that 
now  almost  everyone  counts  time  from  that 
event.  Every  letter  that  is  stamped  in  the  post- 
office  is  stamped  with  that  date.  Every  news- 
paper that  is  published  in  this  country  dates 
from  that  event,  though  it  happened  in  a  dis- 
tant land  years  ago.  It  was  like  this:  Your 
own  religion  says  that  the  god  Vishnu  took  ten 
incarnations.  The  first  was  a  fish,  the  second 
was  a  tortoise,  the  third  was  a  boar,  and  so  on. 
Personally  I  do  not  believe  this,  because  it  does 
not  seem  sensible,  and  I  do  not  think  God  would 
do  what  was  not  sensible.  I  would  not  become 
a  fish  or  a  tortoise  or  a  boar,  if  I  wanted  to 
help  you.  You  could  not  understand  fish  lan- 
guage or  fish  experiences.  However,  I  do  not 
care  very  much  whether  you  believe  it  or  not. 
But  there  is  one  thing  which  is  at  the  heart  of 
all  those  stories  about  Vishnu's  incarnations 
which  I  do  believe  with  all  my  heart;  it  is  that 
when  man  is  in  trouble  you  may  be  sure  that 
God  will  try  to  help  him.  And  that  is  what 
happened  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  When 
men  could  not  understand  what  was  in  the  mind 
and  heart  of  God,  He  said,  *  I  will  go  to  help 


ACQUAINTED   WITH    GOD       rtB 

them.'  But  He  came  in  a  sensible  and  helpful 
way ;  that  is,  He  came  as  a  man.  Everyone  can 
understand  human  experiences.  A  tear  and  a 
smile  mean  and  express  the  very  same  thing  in 
every  part  of  the  world,  even  though  men  may 
not  understand  one  another's  words.  So  because 
men  did  not  understand  properly  what  was  in 
God's  heart  and  mind,  He  took  an  incarnation  in 
a  very  great  and  good  man  to  help  men  truly  to 
understand  what  God  is  like;  how  He  thinks 
and  feels ;  what  He  is  glad  for  and  sorry  for ; 
what  He  wishes  to  do  for  us,  and  us  to  do  for 
Him.  Now  the  name  of  this  incarnation  was 
Jesus,  which  means  Helper;  and  He  also  was 
sometimes  called  Christ,  which  means  the  ap- 
pointed one,  i.  e..  He  was  the  Helper  whom  God 
appointed  to  come  and  reveal  Him.  It  is  from 
Him  that  the  Christian  religion  gets  its  name. 
And  the  essence  of  the  Christian  religion  is  that 
God  is  like  Jesus  Christ.  Now  let  me  tell  you 
about  Him.  He  was  born  a  baby,  and  grew  up 
like  you  and  me.  He  never  had  any  advantages 
in  schools.  But  He  was  most  intimate  with 
God,  whom  He  always  recognized  as  with  Him 
and  whom  He  pleased  and  whom  He  sought  to 


276    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

reveal  to  men.  His  business,  like  yours,  was 
that  of  a  carpenter.  Whenever  He  made  a 
plow  or  a  door  or  a  window,  He  made  just 
as  good  a  job  as  He  could.  He  was  most  kind 
to  all  men  and  most  strong.  He  gave  eyes  to 
the  blind,  ears  to  the  deaf,  and  limbs  to  the 
lame.  He  even  gave  life  to  the  dead.  But  He 
did  more  wonderful  things  than  that.  He  made 
the  bad  good.  He  made  hard-hearted  Marwadis 
[money-lenders],  who  love  money  more  than 
anything  else,  generous  and  humble.  Once  when  I 
was  in  the  village  of  Ambli-Vadgaon  a  Marwadi 
came  to  say  that  the  Mission  teacher,  Nanaji, 
who  had  just  been  transferred  from  that  village, 
still  owed  him  four  rupees,  and  he  wished  me 
to  collect  and  pay  him  this  sum.  I  told  him 
that  I  would  speak  to  Nanaji  about  it,  and,  if 
it  was  all  right,  I  would  see  that  the  small  debt 
was  repaid.  Just  then  a  poor,  paralyzed  woman 
came  up  to  ask  for  help.  She  was  in  rags.  So 
I  said  to  the  Manv^adi,  '  I  tell  you  what  I  will 
do.  I  will  take  the  responsibility  of  collecting 
and  paying  those  four  rupees  now,  if  you  will 
use  part  of  it  in  helping  to  buy  a  garment  for 
this  poor  woman.    I  will  pay  half  the  price,  and 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       277 

you  pay  half.'  But  the  Marwadi  replied,  *  Sir, 
not  one  particle  will  I  give.'  What  do  you 
think  of  that,  Gangaram?  Just  like  a  great 
many  Marwadls,  wasn't  he?  There  was  a  poor, 
paralyzed,  half -starved  woman  of  his  own  town 
for  whom  he  was  not  willing  to  do  one  thing. 
Would  it  be  more  wonderful  to  give  eyes  to  the 
blind,  or  to  give  inward  eyes  to  such  a  money- 
lender and  to  make  him  humble  and  generous.^ 
Well,  that  Is  what  Jesus  Christ  did.  One  day, 
when  He  was  going  through  a  town  called  Jeri- 
cho, a  money-lender,  like  the  Ambli-Vadgaon 
Marwadi,  named  Zaccheus,  a  short  man,  got  up 
into  a  tree  to  see  Jesus  plainly  as  He  was  passing 
along  with  a  great  crowd.  When  Jesus  reached 
the  tree.  He  looked  up  and  said,  '  Zaccheus, 
come  down.  I  would  like  to  go  home  with  you 
to-day ! '  The  man  was  amazed  and  so  was  the 
crowd,  because  everyone  knew  that  he  was  a 
hard-hearted,  dishonest  man  who  had  no  religion 
at  all.  But  the  object  of  Jesus  was  to  make 
that  bad  man  good,  though  He  did  not  say  so. 
I  would  give  a  great  deal  to  know  what  Jesus 
Christ  said  to  Zaccheus  In  his  house.  I  am 
pretty  sure  He  did  not  say  anything  to  him 


^78    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

at  first  about  his  being  bad.  I  think  He  may 
have  said,  '  Zaccheus,  what  a  nice  house  you 
have ;  how  much  good  you  can  do  to  your  neigh- 
bors and  to  poor  people  if  you  are  hospitable 
and  share  your  house  with  them.  How  much  good 
you  can  do  with  your  money  if  you  are  thought- 
ful and  generous  with  it.  You  ought  to  remem- 
ber that  your  money  and  your  house  are  really 
God's,  not  your  own,  and  that  the  only  real 
value  of  money  is  that  you  do  good  with  it  in 
the  way  in  which  God  wishes  you  to  use  His 
money.  Though  you  may  not  have  thought  of 
this  before,  I  hope  you  will  hereafter.'  I  am 
sure  He  spoke  of  God  as  Father  of  all  men,  and 
all  men  as  brothers,  and  of  the  blessedness  of 
being  good,  and  of  the  joy  which  one  can  give 
to  Him  by  being  sorry  for  sin  and  of  living 
right  for  the  rest  of  one's  life,  etc.  And,  Gan- 
garam,  before  Jesus  Christ  left  that  house,  that 
hard-fisted,  hard-hearted  money-lender  became 
a  changed  man.  He  said  with  trembling  in  his 
voice,  '  Sir,  I  am  not  the  same  man  I  was  when 
I  came  in  with  you.  You  have  helped  me  to 
see  that  I  am  not  good.  I  have  never  sought 
anything  but  money  for  its  own  sake.     And  I 


ACQUAINTED   WITH   GOD       279 

have  never  stopped  to  consider  whether  I  did 
right  or  wrong  in  getting  money.  Everyone 
considers  me  hard-hearted.  I  do  not  suppose 
one  person  loves  me.  But  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  become  a  different  man.  I  will  do  my 
best  to  think  up  all  the  men  from  whom  I  have 
squeezed  money  wrongfully.  And  I  will  give 
four  rupees  for  every  rupee  which  I  have  taken 
wrongfully,  so  far  as  possible.  But  I  never 
can  find  half  the  people  whom  I  have  wronged. 
So  I  shall  give  half  of  the  rest  of  my  property 
to  the  poor,  and  I  will  try  never  again  to  take 
money  wrongfully ! '  What  do  you  think  of 
that,  Gangaram.'^  Did  you  ever  know  of  any 
guru  [spiritual  leader]  who  could  do,  or  did, 
things  like  that .?  But  that  was  what  Jesus  often 
did,  and  now  wants  to  do.  He  made  very  bad 
women  penitent  and  pure  and  humble.  But, 
strange  to  say,  some  of  the  priests  hated  Jesus 
because  He  taught  about  God  as  He  did,  and 
they  plotted  against  Him  and  at  last  managed 
to  kill  Him.  But  you  would  not  expect  that 
death  could  defeat  such  as  He,  would  you.''  Not 
at  all.  They  could  put  Him  to  death.  But 
they  could  not  keep  Him  dead,  and  three  days 


S80     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

after  they  had  killed  Him  He  rose  from  the 
dead,  and  is  alive  now  and  forever  will  be,  and 
is  near  everyone  to  help  him.  And  this  letter 
from  which  I  read  to  you  is  principally  taken 
up  with  telling  about  Him.  That  is  how  it 
came  to  be  written. 

"  But  there  is  a  third  way  of  getting  ac- 
quainted with  men.  It  is  to  talk  to  them  and 
to  hear  what  they  say.  That  is  the  way  in 
which  you  and  I  are  getting  acquainted  now. 
You  are  now  finding  out  what  kind  of  a  man  I 
am,  what  I  think  about  and  try  to  do,  what 
I  want  to  do  for  you  and  other  men.  And  I 
am  beginning  to  know  you.  Well,  is  there  any- 
thing which  men  do  to  one  another  which  they 
cannot  do  to  God  and  God  to  them.''  We  can 
talk  to  one  another.  Can  we  not  talk  to  God.^ 
Of  course  we  can.  He  that  made  the  ear,  shall 
He  not  hear.?  Talking  to  God  is  what  Chris- 
tians call  prayer."  Gangaram  evidently  does 
not  see  this  plainly.  So  I  say,  "  I  know  what 
troubles  you.  You  cannot  see  God,  and  have 
an  idea  that  if  any  vow  is  to  be  made  to  Him 
you  need  to  go  to  an  idol  and  by  it  be  reminded 
that  He  can  be  told  something.     But  idols  are 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       281 

not  necessary.  They  are  even  a  hindrance. 
Cannot  blind  people  who  see  nothing  outwardly 
talk  to  one  another  just  as  weU  as  those  who 
have  eyes?  Wait  a  minute."  Then  I  step 
behind  a  door,  and  ask,  "  Can  you  hear  me?  " 
He  says,  "  Yes."  Then  I  say,  "  Speak  to  me. 
Say,  '  I  hear  you.' "  He  says,  "  I  hear  you." 
Then  I  return  and  say,  "  When  we  could  not  see 
each  other  we  could  hear  each  other  just  as  well 
as  now,  when  we  see  one  another,  because  we 
were  near.  How  near  is  God  to  us  now?  Nearer 
than  we  are  to  each  other.  He  is  always  right 
by  our  side.  What  does  your  proverb  say, 
'  Not  a  leaf  stirs  without  God's  moving  it.'  So 
God  can  hear  us,  hear  even  our  thoughts,  and 
He  wishes  us  to  talk  to  Him.  Is  there  not 
something  which  you  would  like  to  say  to  God 
now?  "  Then  again  Gangaram  looks  confused 
and  says,  "  What  should  I  say  ?  "  I  reply,  "  I 
will  tell  you  what  I  think  it  would  be  well  for 
you  to  say  to  Him.  Would  it  not  be  well  to 
say,  '  I  do  not  know  Thee ;  but  I  should  like 
to?'"  "Yes."  "And  to  say,  'Please  make 
me  a  better  man?  '  "  "  Yes."  "  And  '  help  me 
in  my  business  ?  '  "     "  Yes."     "  And  '  bless  my 


282     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

family?'"  "Yes."  "Well,  now,  say  those 
four  things  to  God;  to  the  God  who  is  nearer 
you  than  I  am,  right  by  your  side,  who  is  like 
that  shepherd  and  that  woman  and  that  father, 
and  like  Jesus  Christ.  Do  not  say  them  to  me 
or  to  the  air,  but  to  God."  Again  Gangaram 
looks  surprised  and  perplexed.  He  does  not 
know  how  to  pray.  So  I  say,  "  I  will  help  you.. 
Sentence  by  sentence  I  will  suggest  to  you  what 
to  say,  and  then  you  say  them  to  Him;  not 
to  the  air,  and  not  to  me;  but  to  Him."  I 
would  not  ask  Gangaram  to  close  his  eyes,  be- 
cause that  is  no  necessary  part  of  prayer,  and 
because  he  would  feel  uncomfortable  to  do  so 
before  a  stranger.  He  might  imagine  that  I 
might  make  some  passes  over  him  with  my  hands, 
or  work  some  hocus-pocus.  So  I  take  hold  of 
one  wrist  and  hold  up  his  hand  to  help  him  feel 
that  he  is  really  himself  speaking  to  someone, 
and  not  merely  repeating  words  after  me  into  the 
air.  "  Now,  Gangaram,  say  to  God  what  I 
have  suggested  to  you,  and  what  you  really  wish 
to  say  to  Him.  Say  it  to  Him,  not  to  me,  and 
not  to  the  air.  I  am  only  helping  you.  But 
it  must  be  you  yourself  who  is  speaking  to  God, 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       S83 

who  is  right  here  and  who  is  eager  to  have  you 

speak  to  Him.     Say,  '  O    God,  I  do  not  know 

Thee.'"    "O  God,  I  do  not  know  Thee."  "But 

I   should  like   to."     "But   I   should  like   to." 

"  Please  make  me  a  better  man."    "  Please  make 

me  a  better  man."     "  And  bless  my  family." 

"  And  bless   my   family."      "  Now,  Gangaram, 

God  not  only  heard  what  you  said  to  Him ;  He 

cares.     You  have  a  Hindustani  couplet  which 

says: 

"*Do    hathawale    jitne    hain 
Un  sabse  chod  hath, 
Mang  usse  jiske  hain, 
Ab  sau  karor  hath.' 

[Withhold  your  hand  from  one  that  has  only 
two  hands  (i.  ^.,  men),  ask  of  Him  who  has  a 
thousand  million  hands.]  If  He  has  a  thou- 
sand million  hands,  how  many  hearts  has  He.? 
A  thousand  million,  and  He  cares  for  you,  and  is 
ready  to  answer  your  wish. 

"  But  do  you  suppose  He  can  talk  as  well  as 
hear.'*  Of  course  He  can.  He  that  made  the 
tongue,  shall  He  not  speak.?  He  talks  straight 
to  every  single  person  every  day ;  only  He  talks 
in  His  own  way.     Many  people  do  not  know 


284i     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

that  He  is  talking  because  they  do  not  under- 
stand how  He  talks.  I  will  tell  you.  Animals 
make  a  loud  noise  when  they  talk.  The  donkey 
brays,  the  dog  barks,  the  cow  lows.  But  culti- 
vated people,  when  they  talk,  speak  low.  But 
God  talks  lower  and  stiller  than  the  most  cul- 
tivated man  or  woman.  He  talks  something;  as 
my  wife  sometimes  talks  to  our  children  and  to 
me.  Every  morning  when  it  is  time  to  rise  she 
opens  the  windows  and  lets  the  light  into  the 
room,  and  in  that  way  she  says  to  the  children, 
'  Now  get  up.'  And  every  night  when  she  puts 
them  to  bed,  she  puts  out  the  light,  and  that  is 
her  way  of  saying,  *  Now,  go  to  sleep.'  That 
is  just  the  way  in  which  God  speaks  to  every- 
one in  the  world  every  day.  Every  morning 
He  opens  the  windows  and  lets  in  the  light,  and 
in  this  way  says,  '  Get  up,  everyone.'  Every 
night  He  puts  out  the  light,  and  so  in  His  way 
saySy  '  Go  to  sleep,  everyone.'  Every  time  that 
He  sends  rain.  He  says  in  His  own  way,  '  Look 
out,  get  the  fields  ready  to  sow,'  etc.  Every 
time  that  He  sends  a  customer  to  you  He  says 
to  you,  '  Now  is  your  chance  to  earn  money. 
But  be  sure  to  make  a  good  job!'     That  is. 


ACQUAINTED    WITH    GOD       285 

God  speaks  to  everyone  by  what  He  does,  just 
as  men  do.  The  only  trouble  is  that  people  do 
not  feel  well  enough  acquainted  with  Him  to 
know  that  this  is  one  of  His  ways  of  talking. 
But  it  really  is.  God  talks  by  everything  that 
He  does. 

"  And  another  of  His  quiet  ways  of  talking 
is  by  putting  thoughts  into  men's  minds.  That 
is  one  way  in  which  your  wife  and  my  wife  talk 
to  us.  Without  saying  one  word  out  loud,  by 
her  looks  my  wife  often  tells  me  what  she  wishes 
to  say.  And  the  more  I  get  acquainted  with 
her,  the  more  I  know  what  she  is  thinking  about, 
and  what  she  wishes,  and  what  she  is  glad  for 
or  sorry  for,  by  the  thoughts  which  she  puts 
into  my  mind,  without  speaking  loud.  So  God 
talks  to  us  by  putting  thoughts  into  our  minds. 
Every  good  thought  which  ever  comes  into  your 
or  my  mind,  Gangaram,  is  God  talking  to  us. 
It  does  not  happen.  It  is  His  voice.  But  how 
little  we  realize  that  that  is  God's  principal 
way  of  communicating  with  His  children!  I 
will  tell  you  what  I  think  God  may  be  saying 
to  you  now.  I  think  He  may  be  putting  into 
your  mind  this  thought,  '  These  are  the  most 


286     MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW 

wonderful  and  the  best  things  which  I  ever 
heard.'  "  "  That  is  so,  Saheb."  "  WeU,  Gan- 
garam,  that  is  God  speaking  to  you."  "  You 
would  do  well  to  act  as  if  these  things  are  true." 
"  Yes."  "  Well,  that,  too,  is  God's  voice.  And 
every  good  thought  that  ever  will  come  into 
your  mind  will  be  God's  voice  to  you. 

"  Now,  Gangaram,  the  fourth  way  in  which 
to  get  acquainted  with  men  is  to  live  with  them, 
to  go  about  with  them,  to  see  them  do  their 
work,  and  to  take  their  help  in  your  work. 
And  that  is  also  the  way  to  get  acquainted  with 
God.  It  is  good  to  read  His  letter,  to  hear  what 
His  messengers  say,  to  talk  to  Him,  and  to 
hear  Him  talk ;  but  all  these  are  not  enough  if 
you  do  not  live  with  Him  and  have  Him  live 
inside  of  you  as  He  wants  to  live.  Looking  at 
bread  does  not  feed  anyone.  The  bread  must 
be  inside  him.  Hearing  about  water  does  not 
satisfy  anyone's  thirst.  It  must  be  inside  of 
him.  So  hearing  about  God  will  not  make  you 
acquainted  with  Him.  He  must  be  in  your  mind 
and  heart.  If  what  I  have  said  goes  into  one 
ear  and  out  of  the  other,  that  will  not  make 
you  acquainted  with  God.    You  must  keep  these 


ACQUAINTED   WITH   GOD       ^Sl 

things  and  Him  in  your  heart  and  mind.  Live 
as  though  they  were  true.  Tell  your  wife  and 
children  and  neighbors  about  them.  Recognize 
every  customer  as  from  God,  and  make  every 
plow  and  door  and  window  as  if  you  were 
making  it  for  God.  Recognize  every  good 
thought  as  from  Him.  Often  look  up  and  speak 
to  Him.  In  these  ways,  Gangaram,  you  can 
become  truly  acquainted  with  God.  He  knows 
all  about  you,  and  He  wants  you  to  become 
acquainted  with  Him. 

"  Now,  good-bye,  Gangaram.  Come  and  see 
me  as  often  as  you  can.  When  you  can,  come 
to  our  church  over  there.  You  may  not  know 
what  its  bell  says.  It  was  made  in  America, 
but  when  it  says,  *  Ding,  dong,'  that  means, 
'  Come,  come.'  Whenever  it  says,  '  Ding,  dong, 
ding,  dong,'  it  means,  '  Come,  come,  everyone ; 
come,  come,  Gangaram;  come,  come.'  Come 
whenever  you  can.  Whenever  you  come  there 
you  will  hear  more  from  this  letter  of  God's ; 
His  messenger  will  tell  you  His  messages ;  we 
shall  talk  to  Him,  and  He  will  talk  back  to  us, 
by  putting  good  thoughts  into  our  hearts ;  and 
then  we  will  act  as  if  we  were  living  with  Him." 


^88    MISSIONS  from  the  MODERN  VIEW] 

Friends  In  America,  is  there  any  other  way 
to  become  acquainted  with  God  here  than  the 
way  of  the  old,  old  story  as  Gangaram  heard 
it  ?  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  truly  said,  "  This 
is  life  eternal;  not  that  we  should  go  by  and 
by  to  a  safe  place  called  heaven,  but  that  we 
should  become  acquainted  with  God  here  and 
now,  through  Jesus  Christ,  whom  He  has  sent." 
This  is  life  eternal,  to  be  intimate  with  God; 
to  think  His  thoughts  with  Him;  to  respond 
to  His  love  for  us ;  to  share  His  love  for  our 
brother-men  and  sister-women;  to  be  filial  to 
Him  in  our  plans  and  lives,  by  the  desire  to 
please  Him  and  to  have  His  blessed  will  done 
everywhere  as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  This  is 
what  Jesus  Christ  helps  men  to  do  as  no  one 
else,  and  why  we  need  to  take  His  help  and 
become  Christians.  This  is  life  eternal,  to  be 
acquainted  with  God.  And  the  better  that  we 
ourselves  become  acquainted  with  Him  the  more 
we  shall  gladly  do  all  we  can  to  enable  Him  to 
win  every  single  human  child  of  His  in  every 
land  to  become  acquainted  with  Him  and  to  live 
with  Him  as  a  son. 


INDEX 


Acquainted  with  God,  how 

to   become,   262 
Aims  of  the  Missionary,  32 
Akbar,  76 
Arya  Samaj,  83 
Atonement     in    Hinduism, 

163 
Authority  or  influence  for 

the  Missionary,  147 

Benares,  154 

"Better"    the   right   word 

for   commending   Christ, 

39 
Bhagavad  Gita,  70,  175 
Bhakti,  187,  201 
Bhandarkar,  80 
Bible,  the,  226fF 
Brahma  Samaj,  81,  202 
Brotherhood  of  Man,  216 
Buddha,  64 
Buddhism,  66ff 

Caste,  108,  136 

Chaitanya,  74 

Charity,  how  to  administer, 
142 

Christ,  the  human  expres- 
sion of  God,  201 

Christ,  an  example,  165 

Christ,  draws  the  Indian  to 
Himself,  117 


Christ's  divinity,  16 
Christ's      sufferings,     164, 

182,  244 
Christian,  what  it  is  to  be 

a,  227 
Christians,     why     Indians 

become,  11  Iff 
Christian   community,   the, 

81 
Christianity  defined,  49 
Christianity,  influence  of  in 

India,  80 
Christianity,  the  essence  of, 

215,  224 
Christianity      a      growing 

religion,  14,  216 
Christianity     is     for     all 

men,  187 
Church  Government,  143 
Cornelius,  31 
Cross,  the,  165,  167 


Dadu,  79 

Denationalizing       to       be 

avoided,  142 
Deussen,  157 
Devout  non-Christians,  200 

Education,  141 
Episcopresbygationalism, 
145 


S89 


290 


INDEX 


Environment  explains 

much,  180 

Ethical  teaching  insuffi- 
cient, 65,  86 

Ethnic  faiths,  contact  with 
in  Christendom,  199 

Evolution,   12 

Family  organization  in 
India,  126ff 

•'  Father  and  Mother," 
God  as,  204 

Fear  formative  in  Hin- 
duism, 55 

Flesh,  the,  53 

Form  an  element  of  value, 
211 

"Fulfill,"  Christ  seeks  to, 
26 

"Fullness  of  time,"  27 

God  like  Jesus  Christ,  16 
God,    the    Fatherhood    of, 

216 
God,  how  God  talks,  283ff 
God,  how  to  talk  to,  280ff 
God's  patience,  52 
God's   sorrow  for  sin,  244 
Gore,  Bishop,  219 
Greek  philosophy,  197 
Guru  Govind  Singh,  78 

Harmony  with  God  through 

Christ,  242 
Hebrews,  the  epistle  to  the, 

39,  219 


Heredity    explains    much, 

180 
Hero-worship  formative  in 

Hinduism,  58 
Hindu    characteristics,    97, 

99,  104,  108,  214 
Hinduism  defined,  46,  156 
Hinduism    erroneously    es- 
timated, 48 
Hinduism   dying,   189,   216 
Historicity  not  chief  proof, 

18,  205 
Holy  Spirit,  the,  232,  253ff 
Hopkins,  E.  W.,  72,  189 

Ideal,  the  value  of  the,  18, 

206 
Idolatry,  28 
Illusion,  103 
Illustration,   the  value   of, 

100 
Imagination  strong  in  the 

Hindu,  98 
Incarnation    in    Hinduism, 

160 
Incarnation    in    Christian- 
ity,   159 
Indian  Christianity,  86 
Indigenous  good  should  be 

conserved,  123 
Influence  or  authority  for 

the  missionary,  147 
Intercourse     with     Christ, 

how  possible,  231 
Islam,  14,  75 

Jainism,  67 


INDEX 


^91 


James' "Varieties  of  Relig- 
ious Experience,"  89,  93 

Kabir,  77 

Karma,  62,  166 

Keshab   Chundar   Sen,  82, 

207 
Kipling,  91 
Knowledge  most  valued  in 

India,  59 
Krishna,  70 

Laymen,  38 

Left-hand   phase   in    Hin- 
duism, 71 
Living  with  Christ,  236 

Man  a  revelation  of  God, 

21 
Man  in  Hinduism,  160 
Man  in  Christianity,  160 
Men,  God's  need  of,  25 
Marriage  system  in  India, 

128ff 
Mercy  in  Hinduism,  183 
Metaphysics,  value  of,  208 
Methods,  missionary,  39 
Missions,    hopefulness    of, 

24 
Mohammedanism,  see  Islam 
Moozumdar,  P.  C,  83,  201 

Nanak,  77 

Nature    in    Hinduism,    56, 

157 
Need  of  Christ,  30 
Need  of  missions,  41 


"  New   Dispensation,"   the, 

82 

Oriental  mind  not  logical, 
96,99 

Pantheism,  evil  effects  of, 
69,  84,  97,  106 

Parananda,  commentaries 
by,  202 

Pastors,  how  far  neces- 
sary, 146 

Paul,  195,  217 

Peter,  42,  193,  200 

Philanthropy,  36 

Polygamy,  137 

Polytheism,  63 

Prarthana  Samaj,  83 

Prayer,  168 

Proportion,  19,  52 

Protestants  in  Hinduism, 
51 

Psychology,  as  used  in  this 
book,  89,  95 

Puranas,  71,  159 

Rammohun  Roy,  81,  202 
Ranade,  47,  202 
Rebirth,  178 

Religion  defined,  13,  14,  155 
Religion,    universality    of, 

23 
Religion  covers  all  life,  210 
Religions,  all  imperfect,  13 
Repentance  in  Christianity, 

244 
Resurrection  of  Jesus  as- 


292 


INDEX 


sures  that  He  is  alive, 
229 

Resurrection  of  Jesus  as 
viewed  by  Indians,  207 

Revealed  and  natural  re- 
ligion, 12 

Reverence  in  the  East  and 
West,  44,  213 

Roman  influence  on  Chris- 
tianity, 198 


Sabbath  question,  the,  135, 

143 
Sacrifice,  61,  169 
Sacrifice  in  Hinduism  les- 
sening, 203 
Salvation     in      Hinduism, 

162,  163,  165 
Salvation    in    Christianity, 

16,  162,  163 
Shaivism,  71 
Shakti  worship,  73 
Shankaracharya,  69 
Sikhism,  77 

Sin  in  Hinduism,  63,  161 
Sin  in  Christianity,  162 
Slater's  Higher  Hinduism, 

150 
Snakes,  56 

Sociology  defined,  118 
Sociology  important  to  the 

Missionary,  119 
Sonship    to    God    through 

Christ,  246 


Suffering      has      spiritual 

value,  181 
Syllogism,  the  Indian,  102 

Training  Homes  for  Mis- 
sionaries, 120 

Transmigration,  177 

Truth,  search  for  by 
Hindus,  171 

Tukaram,  204 

Unbaptized  wives,  134 
Unmarried  missionary 

ladies,  128flF 
Upanishads,    60,    172,    176, 

177 

Vaishnavism,  47 

Vallabhas,  72 

"  Varieties  of  Religious 
Experience,"  89,  93 

Vedanta,  158 

Vedas,  56 

Vice,  how  to  deal  with,  139 

Virgin  birth  of  Jesus,  non- 
important,  206 

Westcott,  Bishop,  218 
Widows,    185 
Wilson,  Dr.,  115 
Wisdom,  59 

Yajnavalkya,  60 

Yoga,  61,  186 

Young     Missionaries,     121 

Zaccheus,  277. 


BOOKS         OF        THE        YEAR 


Missions  and  Modern  History 

A  Study  of  the  Bearing  on  Christian  Missions  of  Some  Great  Event? 

of  the  Ninteenth  Century 
2  Vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  net  4.00  ROBERT  E.  SPEER 

Along  the  idea  that  "History  is  God  teaching  by  example"  Mr. 
Speer  has  selected  some  of  the  most  striking  cribcsandinovcmcntsof 
the  past  century  and  seeks  to  see  in  them  the  results  on  the  spread  of 
the  knowledge  of  God  through  Christian. missions.  Among  others 
he  studies  in  this  way  the  Tai-ping  rebellion,  the  Indian  Mutiny,  the 
Rise  of  Japan,  the  Decline  of  Spanish  Power  in  America  and  similar 
events  of  great  importance. 

New  Forces  in  Old  China 

i2mo.  Cloth,  Illustrated,  net  1.50      ARTHUR  J.  BROWN,  D.D. 

To  the  preparation  of  years  of  study  and  correspondence.  Dr. 
Brown  added  a  long  visit  to  China  so  that  his  Information  is  unques- 
tionable. 

His  aim  is  to  show  how  the  great  transforming  forces.  Western 
trade,  Western  politics  and  Western  religion  are  making  tremendous 
changes  in  that  sluggish  mass  we  call  China. 

Amon^  the  Burmans 

i?mo.  Cloth,  Illustrated,  net  1.25  H.  P.  COCHRANE. 

This  book  covers  what  one  wants  to  know  about  Burma :  how  it  looks 
something  about  the  history  and  habits  of  the  people  ;  net  put  in  dry 
statistical  form,  but  told  as  a  vivacious  story ._  The  religious  conditions 
are  accurately  diagnosed  and  what  the  missionaries  have  done  and 
may  confidently  expect  to  do 

The  China  Martyrs  of  1900      compucd  by 

ROBERT  COVENTRY  FORSYTH 

Large  8vo,  Cloth,  with  144  Portraits  and   other  Illustrations,  net  2.00 
A  complete  roll  of  the  Christian  heroes  martyred  in  1900,  with  the 
story  of  their  experiences  as  narrated  by  survivors. 

"This  simple,  unpretentious  record  will  take  its  place  amongst  mis- 
sionary classics. — British  Weekly 

"It  will  be  for  all  time  the  standard  authority  and  narrative  of  this 
harrowing  series  of  martyrdoms  in  modern  times.'' — The  Watchman. 

A  Memorial  of  Horace  Tracy  Pitkin 

i2mo.  Cloth,  net  I  CO  ROBERT  E.   SPEER 

"Mr.  Speer  has  put  the  matter  of  the  memorial  into  excellent  shape. 
There  is  much  in  it  worth  reading  by  people  without  special  Christian 
or  mtssionpj-y  interests,  for  Mr  Pitkin  m.iy  be  taken  as  one  cflhc  best 
examples  of  a  type  of  young  man  which  has  played  and  is  playing  some 
considerable  part  in  the  work  of  the  present  generation."— iV-  Y.  Times 

"No  nobler  type  of  manhood  has  sprung  from  our  scil."— TA* 
Outlook, 


BOOKS         OF^        THE        YEAR 

TVi<»  Vancs'ifar^.    A  Tale  of  Korea.  JAMES  S.  GALE 

1  ne  V  angUara.  Author  of  "Korean  Sketches 

Illustrated,  i2mo.  Cloth,  1.50 
"The  readers  of  Mr.  Gale's  interesting  story  will  have   a  better 
conception  of  the  sort  of  folk  the  Koreans  are  than  could  be  gathered 
from  a  dozen  volumes  of  travel." — Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"The  book  13  eminently  enjoyable  ;  it  is  hearty,  unconrentlonal, 
full  of  odd  and  unexpected  bits  of  adventure,  romance  and   character. 

A  capital  book  to  read  just  now,  and,  indeed  at  any  time." 

—  The  Outlook. 

The  Story  of  James  Chalmers  ( '^Tamate") 

His  Life  and  Adventures  Told  for  Boys 
Illustrated,  12  mo.  Cloth,  $1.25  net   RICHARD  LOVETT,  M.  A. 

Told  in  such  a  way  as  to  catch  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  bojrs, 
and  to  show  that  a  man  who  is  neither  a  soldier  nor  a  traveler  nor  a 
scientist  nor  a  statesman  may  yet  be  a  great  hero.  Many  of  the  won- 
derful and  dangerous  incidents  in  "Tamate's"  long  and  strange  life  are 
here  described,  often  in  his  own  words.  These  include  many  which 
show  how  often  he  sto,d  on  the  brink  of  death,  and  how  enthusiastit 
he  was  in  his  desire  to  uplift  and  to  bless  the  wild  savages  of  Raro- 
tonga  and  Guinea. 

Ax  /^««M  r^«4r«Y    T^r\r**»  A  study  of  Home  Missions  with  speial 
r%X  V/Ur  V/Wn    l^OUr       reference  to  the  South  and  West. 

lamo.  Cloth,  Illustrated,  net  i.oo  S.  L.  MORRIS,  D.D. 

"At  Our  Own  Door"  fills  a  demand  for  literature  on  the  subject  of 
home  missions  that  has  long  been  felt. — Atlanta  Journal. 

The  book  is  large  in  its  grasp,  particular  in  its  presentations  of 
facts,  sweet  in  its  spirit,  confident  in  its  expectations  of  victory  for 
home  missions,  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  great  cause  for  which  it 
pleads.  —  The  Interior 

Our  People  of  Foreign  Speech 

i6mo.  Cloth,  50c  net      ^     ^  SAMUEL  McLANAHAN 

A  handbook  distinguishing  and  describing  those  in  the  United 
States  whose  native  tongue  is  other  than  English.  With  particular 
reference  to  religious  work  among  them. 

Tom    Keenan Locomotive  Engineer 

A  Story  of  Fifty  Years  on  the  Rail  as  told  by  Himself 
Illustrated,  i2mo.  Cloth,  net  1.00    _     Edited  by  NEASON  JONES 
Preserves  in  the  vernaculrr  the  life  story  of  a  character  as  unique 

and  beneficent  as  Jerry  McAuley,  and   demonstrates   the   remarkable 

transformations  effected  among  railroad  men. 

Boys  of  the  Street :  How  to  win  Them 

i6mo.  Cloth,  net  50c  CHARLES  STELZLB 

"This  little  volume  is  full  of  useful  suggestions   to  any  who  have 

to  do  with  boys  clubs.    j\lr.  Stelzle   has    had    the  good  fortune  to  form 

his  conclusions  out  of  successful  experieoce  with  boys." — The  Outlook, 


N       E       W        E       D       S       T       I       O       N      S 

The  story  of  the  Nazarene 

Illustrations  and  maps,  Svo,  cloth,  net  i  75  NOAH  K.  DAVIS,  LLD. 
*'We  have  never  before  seen  such  historic  imagination  joined  with 
such  thorough  sanity  .  .  .  It  is  a  Lving,  breathing,  throbbing  story  of 
Jc3us'  life,  lull  of  deepest  suggestion  and  profoundly  impressive." — 
Western  Recorder. 

Studies  in  Christian  Character 

i6mo,  cloth,  gilt  top,  1,00  net  W.  L.  WATKINSON,  D.D. 

"Scarcely  another  modern  preacher  draws  from  Nature's  labora- 
tory so  many  chaiming  and  brilliant  figures  and  emblems.  As  a 
preacher  of  sweet  reasonableness,  open  eyed  optimism,  and  tender 
Evangelical  znal  and  courageous  intelleccual  honesty,  he  has  few 
equals." — Methodist  Review. 

Studies  in  Life  and  Experience 

i6mo,  cloth,  gilt  top,  net,  i.oo  W.  L.  WATKINSON,  D    D. 

"He  has  what  this  poor  world  needs — vision." — Neiuell  Lhvight 
Hillis. 

"Overbrimming  with  literary  riches,  which  he  uses  with  exquis- 
ite taste  for  the  illustration  of  truth  and  illumination  of  life." — Metho- 
dist Review. 

Times  of  Retirement 

i2mo,  cloth,  1.25  net'^  REV.  GEORGE  HATHESON 

Devotional   Meditations  by  the  author  of  "Moments  on  the  Mount," 

etc.  With  a  biographical  sketch  by  the  Rev.  U.  MacMillan. 
"We  would  commend  .his  collection  of  short  papers  as  unsurpassed 
by  anything  of  their  kind.  What  one  expects  from  such,  one  finds 
here — deep  feeling,  clear  insight,  religious  inspiration.  It  is  charac- 
teristic of  these  mediti^tlons  that  they  begin  In  reflection,  out  of  which 
on  the  wings  of  thought  devotion  rises  naturally  in  adoration  and 
prayer." — The  Outlook. 

The  I^aCt  of  Christ     second  American  edition 
k  lamo,  cloth,  1.25  P.  CARNEGIE  SIMPSON 

"A  right  manly,  man«makmg  volume." — Expository  Times. 

•'Distinguished  both  for  intellectual  clearness  and  keenness  and 
for  moral  cogency." — The  Outlook. 

"It  is  a  good  book.  It  lifts  the  reader  high  above  the  tenuous 
mists  of  drifting  doubts  " — The  Interior. 

The  True  Estimate  of  Life  and  How  to 

I^ive  G-   CAMPBELL  MORGAN,  D.D. 

Cloth,  gilt  top,  net,  8oc  New,  enlarged  and  revised  edition 

"There  is  here  a  union  of  deep  spirituality,  fervor,  rugged  com 
mon  sense,  clearness  of  insight  and  a  firm  grasp  upon  Biblical  truth, 
knowledge  of  men,  and  vigorous  speech  " — The  Pacific. 


New  Forces  in  Old  China 

i2mo.  Cloth,  Illustrated,  net  1.50.     ARTHUR  J.  BROWN,  D.D. 

"May  be  put  in  the  same  class  with  Smith's  '  Chinese 
Cha7-acteristics''  a  work  already  regarded  as  a  classic  by  all 
sinologists.  *  *  *  One  of  the  first  writers  to  give  full 
credit  to  the  force  of  economic  and  commercial  factors. 
*  *  Should  be  read  by  all  who  have  political,  commercial 
or  financial  relations  with  the  Far  East." — The  Inde- 
pendent. 


H.  P.  COCHRANE 


Among  the  Burmans 

i2mo.  Cloth,  Illustrated,  net  1.25 

"An  unusually  comprehensive  account  of  one  of  the 
most  interesting  Oriental  peoples,  and  is  entertaining  as 
well  as  instructive,  enlivened  with  anecdote  and  gleams  of 
humor,  while  seriously  religious  in  tone  and  practical  in 
purpose." — The  Outlook, 


A  Tale  of  Korea.    JAflES  S.   GALE 

Author  of  "Korean  Sketches. 


The  Vanguard : 

Illustrated,  i2mo.  Cloth,    1.50. 

"The  readers  of  Mr.  Gale's  interesting  story  will  have  a 
better  conception  of  the  sort  of  folk  the  Koreans  are  than 
could  be  gathered  from  a  dozen  volumes  of  travel." — 
Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"The  book  is  eminently  enjoyable  ;  it  is  hearty,  uncon- 
ventional, full  of   odd    and  unexpected  bits  of  adventure, 

romance    and   character A  capital  book  to  read 

just  now,  and,  indeed  at  any  time." — The  Outlook. 


The  Story  of  James  Chalmers  (^'Tamate") 

His  Life  and  Adventures  Told  for  Boys. 
Illustrated,  i2mo,  Cloth,  net  1.25.  RICHARD  LOVETT,  M.A. 

"  From  start  to  finish  it  is  a  volume  of  thrilling  interest, 
telling  as  it  does  the  story  of  Chalmers'  life  from  boyhood 
until  the  day  he  fell  a  martyr  under  the  blows  of  cannibals 
in  New  Guinea.  It  is  the  record  of  the  life  of  a  man  who 
knew  no  fear  and  who  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  him- 
self " — American  Afessenger. 


That  Sweet  Story  of  Old; 


A  Life  of  Christ  for 
Young  People 
HARQARET  E.  SANQSTER 

Fully  Illustrated,  i2mo,  Cloth,  1.25. 

The  ever-new  life  of  Christ  retold.  The  large  expecta- 
tion created  by  this  author's  name  on  the  title  page  is  fully 
sustained  in  the  pages  of  the  work  itself. 


Education  in  Religion  and  Morals 

i2mo.  Cloth.  Gilt  Top,  net  1.35.     Prof.  GEORGE  ALBERT  COE 

Author  of  "The  Religion  of  a  Mature  Mind." 
"We  verily  believe  a  more   serviceable  book  has  not  re- 
cently been  issued  from  the  press." — Wesley  an  Christian 
Advocate. 

"  It  strikes  us  that  he  has  put  his  finger  upon  the  vital 
point  in  this  matter,  and  that  the  principles  he  advocates 
should  be  recognized  and  practically  used  in  our  systems 
of  education." — The  Interior, 

A  Young  Man's  Make-Up     james  i.  vance 

i2mo,  Cloth,  net  75c. 

"A  message  of  inspiration  for  all  alike  but  especially  for 
those  just  entering  upon  life.  Dr.  Vance  is  a  vigorous 
thinker  and  writer,  and  has  the  rare  ability  to  see  things 
in  their  practical  bearing.  He  is  a  bitter  enemy  of  any- 
thing savoring  of  cant,  and  his  frank  incisive  utterances  are 
peculiarly  adapted  to  catching  and  holding  the  attention  of 
young  men." — Newark  Evening  News. 

Quiet  Talks  on  Prayer  40th  thousand. 

i2mo.  Cloth,  net  75c.  S.D.GORDON 

"I  cannot  speak  of  it  too  highly. — R.  F.  Coy le,  Ex- 
Moderator   General  Asseriibly. 

"  A  work  altogether  out  of  the  ordinary.  *  *  Came  to 
us  almost  like  a  revelation," — United  Presbyterian. 

Quiet  Talks  on  Power    60th  thousand. 

i2mo.  Cloth,  net  75c.  S.D.GORDON 

"  Contains  the  most  helpful  discussions  on  Power  from 
on  high  that  I  know  anything  about." — -J.  Wilbur  Chap- 
man, D.D.  ' 

"One  cannot  read  far  into  this  little  volume  without  be- 
ing convinced  of  its  rare  value." — Bible  Teacher. 

"  We  commend  this  book  without  any  reservation." — 
Sword  and  Trowel,   London,  Eng. 

The  Loom  of  Providence 

i2mo.  Cloth,  net  i.oo.  ROBERT  MacKENZIE,  D.D. 

"These  are  thoughtful  and  helpful  sermons,  brief 
enough  for  easy  reading,  on  suggestive  topics  and  infused 
with  a  hopeful  and  manly  spirit  of  faith." — Congrega- 
tionalism 


The  Harvest  of  the  Sea  i,  Sl\ln£  """ 

Illustrated,  i2mo,  Cloth,  net  i.oo. 

WILFRED  T.  GRENFELL,  M.D. 

A  vivid  story,  in  which  fact  is  presented  in  fiction  form, 
of  the  Deep  Sea  Fisherman's  life  on  the  Dogger  banks  in 
the  North  Sea  and  off  the  Coasts  of  Newfoundland  and 
Labrador.  Full  of  thrilling  heroic  adventure  in  which  men 
count  not  their  lives  dear — "This  also  is  the  price  of  fish." 

The  White  Peril  in  the  Far  East 

A  study  of  the  ethical  and  international  significance  of  the 

Russo-Japanese  war. 
l2mo,  Cloth,  net  i.oo.   (By  the  Author  of  Evolution  of  the 
Japanese.)  SIDNEY  L.  GULICK,  D.D. 

The  conclusions  presented  were  gained  from  extended 
intimate  acquaintance  and  conversation  with  Japanese  men 
of  affairs,  with  whom  the  author  was  in  daily  contact. 
There  is  a  yellow  peril  for  us,  but  it  is  not  so  threatening 
as  the  white  peril  for  the  Far  East,  which  the  white  man  is 
determined  to  exploit  for  his  own  selfish  ends  regardless  of 
the  yellow  man's  rights, 

A  Young  People's  History  of 
Japan, 

BELLE  M.  BRAIN 

A  young  people's  history  of  Japan  from  the  earliest  days 
down  to  the  present.  A  great  mass  of  information,  his- 
torical and  otherwise,  is  here  condensed  with  surprising 
skill  within  the  covers  of  a  small  volume. 

The  Heart  of  the  World  ^hSn^sodaHsm. 

i2mo.  Cloth,  1.25.  CHARLES  M.  SHELDON 

Nothing  that  the  author  has  written  since  his  remark- 
able little  volume  In  His  Steps,  has  presented  with  such 
force  and  conviction — hovvbeit  in  story  form — the  great 
principles  for  which  he  stands  to-day  a  recognized  ex- 
ponent. 

For  a  Free  Conscience  tt'SJLtc..^nry. 

i2mo,  Cloth,  1.50  LYDIA  C.  WOOD 

Presents  in  a  true  light  the  Quaker  ideals  and  life  of  the 
early  days.  The  Friends  for  hundreds  of  years  have  been 
living  "the  simple  life"  yet  often  grossly  caricatured  in 
Literature.  In  this  author  they  find  a  sympathetic  scribe 
who  knows  their  real  life  from  the  inside. 


All  About  Japan 

i2mo,  Cloth,  net  75  cts. 


Princeton  Theoloqical  Seminary  Libra^ 


1    1012  01 


234  6468 


Date  Due 

Ap8     '40 

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